Samuel Bashfield is a PhD candidate and Research Officer at the ANU National Security College. He joined ANU in 2016 and the National Security College in April 2018. His research engages with Indian Ocean security issues, with a focus on the past, present and future of the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory).

Sam completed his Master of National Security Policy degree in July 2020 and received an ANU Professional Staff Scholarship and the National Security College Award. He was most recently Course Coordinator in the NSC Professional Studies team, and Project Officer in the Strategic Partnerships and International Office at the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. Prior to joining the ANU, Sam interned at the Jakarta Globe newspaper in Indonesia, worked at the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre at the University of Sydney, and at the Attorney General’s Department.