Australian researcher and entrepreneur Dr Elise Stephenson is making contributions to equality in international affairs.
The 2014 New Colombo Plan scholar is now the Deputy Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at the Australian National University.
As part of her New Colombo Plan program, Elise completed her honours at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), researching women's leadership in higher education with a comparative study of Australia and the Asia Pacific.
She undertook an internship with the Women's Studies Research Centre involving community, researcher, and stakeholder liaison.
She was lucky to contribute as an intern on issues relating to United Nations HeForShe campus initiatives and topics regarding the UN Commission on the Status of Women and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
'I also spent a lot of time in the startup and social enterprise space so when I returned to Australia, I was motivated to act,' Elise says.
She co-founded the Social Good Outpost - a business dedicated to communications design and strategy which she runs with her sister today.
'The NCP was the genesis of my entrepreneurial and academic career, and since then, Social Good Outpost has gone on to deliver youth leadership-focused programs' she said.
In supporting the development of Australians' leadership skills through her business ventures, Elise believes she is paying forward the benefits the NCP provided for her.
Following her New Colombo Plan scholarship, she undertook her PhD in women's leadership in international affairs at Griffith University.
Her first book, The Face of the Nation, was published by Oxford University Press in 2024.
'My initial research on gender at HKU was critical for setting my direction and in providing me with the skills, expertise and experience to lead research in the Asia Pacific region,' she says.
'The NCP made me determined to link my experience in Asia with entrepreneurship and the evidence and to drive twin business-academic careers.'
'It gave me a platform for my ideas, the confidence and support to carry them through and the networks and experience to continue to work for many kinds of social good in the region.'
'Some of my closest friendships were forged during my NCP experience and through my work.'
'I inevitably meet NCP scholars every year either through research or entrepreneurship. I'm always impressed with what engaged connected individuals they are.'
In 2022, Elise was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Washington to conduct research into gender and other forms of diversity in the space sector.
She believes we are at a critical juncture with space.
'We have new institutions and policies developing, a swell of new actors and entrepreneurs, and a moment of 'plasticity' where we're best positioned to influence the norms and the way this important sector develops,' she said.
Elise says beyond her Fulbright research, her role of the at the Global Institute for Women's Leadership is to grow its team, its research and its impact.
'We have a host of important research projects to deliver – everything from AI and climate action to international affairs, politics and entrepreneurship and I'm looking forward to working with government and the private sector to translate evidence-informed research into actions with impact,' she said.
'Everyone has a role to play in Australia's international relations. Diplomacy is a first line of defence and a crucial tool for enabling inclusive, safe, productive, sustainable, and just futures globally.'
