Jose Sousa-Santos joined the Australia Pacific Security College (PSC) as the Pacific Policy Fellow in February 2021. His area of expertise and research is transnational crime,  regional security and non-state actors in the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia. Jose has previously held positions as the subject matter expert (transnational crime and terrorism) with the executive cadre for the United States Pacific Command and Special Operations Command Pacific Cooperation Against Transnational Threats programme and Pacific Area Security Sector Working Group (2015-2019); the Senior Associate Regional Security Southeast Asia and the Pacific at Victoria University (2019-2020); and in 2020 was a Visiting Fellow with the Australian National University Cyber Institute.

Prior to this Jose has also held roles as an analyst with the New Zealand Police National Intelligence Centre, as an advisor on conflict mediation and transformation to HE Dr Jose Ramos-Horta during his terms as prime minister and president, and as a lead analyst with the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) Joint Mission Analysis Centre focussed on conflict, non-state actors and spoilers. In 2007 he was nominated for the United Nations Sergio Vieira de Mello Human Rights Award for achievements in the area of community conflict mediation and dispute resolution during the Timor-Leste 2006 crisis and received commendations from the United Nations Police for investigative work on transnational crime (human trafficking).

Jose sits on the Pacific Reset Advisory Group to the New Zealand Government and is a member of the New Zealand Volunteer Service Abroad Council. He is undertaking doctoral studies at Massey University on the nexus between transnational crime and climate insecurity in the Pacific Islands region, and holds a degree in Master of International Relations from Victoria University of Wellington, where he wrote his thesis on how Southeast Asia’s maritime states are hedging China. Jose formerly served with the Australian Defence Force and is the founder and managing director of Strategika Group.

You can read Jose’s work here.