Ashton Papazahariakis joined NSC in 2024 as an Advisor with the Futures Hub, on secondment from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He was most recently a diplomat on the political team at the Australian Embassy Jakarta, leading on Indonesian domestic politics and engagement with political Islam. Ashton brings rich strategic policy experience across the breadth of Australian foreign policy and DFAT’s operations. He has fluency on Indonesia and South East Asia, China, the Middle East and Russia and thematic expertise on International Law, Cyber and Sea Law and Artic and Antarctica issues.

Ashton holds a Bachelor of International Relations and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Adelaide and the GDLP from the ANU. He is an admitted Barrister/Solicitor. He speaks Bahasa Indonesia.