Natalie McLean is an Assistant Director of Research at the Department of Defence. Natalie has spent 15 years working in the Defence and Security Studies field in academic, policy and uniformed roles. Prior to her appointment, Natalie was a Senior Research Fellow at the Basillie School of International Affairs at the University of Waterloo and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University. She received her PhD from the School of Global, Urban and Social Sciences at RMIT University in 2023.  Natalie has had a long-standing interest in international security and international relations, and has has authored and co-authored a number of peer-reviewed academic journal articles spanning international security studies and privatized military studies. Natalie is currently working on issues regarding civil-military relations and conducts research at the nexus between international relations and international security and is interested in how and why the use of force is regulated, and the relationship between norms and international law.