Professor Robert Ayson

Biography

Robert Ayson has been Professor of Strategic Studies at Victoria University of Wellington since 2010 and works in close association with the Centre for Strategic Studies. He has also held academic positions with the ANU, Massey University and the University of Waikato, and official positions with the New Zealand government. Professor Ayson completed his MA as a Freyberg Scholar to the ANU and his PhD at King's College London as a Commonwealth Scholar to the UK. He is Adjunct Professor with the ANU's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Honorary Professor with the New Zealand Defence Force Command and Staff College, and a member of New Zealand's Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control.

Professor Ayson has a particular interest in strategic competition and cooperation, including in relation to the management of armed conflict. This work ranges from exploring the ideas of Hedley Bull and Thomas Schelling to evaluating New Zealand and Australian responses to the changing Asia-Pacific balance between China and the United States. It also includes his current book project on Asia's Security and his long-standing interest in nuclear issues. He teaches and supervises on a range of related areas, and is a frequent media commentator.