Rate My Professor Ali Hayes

Ali Hayes is the Academic Chair of Global Security and a Fellow at the Indo-Pacific Research Centre in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Murdoch University. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Murdoch University, awarded in 2021 for his thesis “Here, there is the opportunity to choose a different path,” which was supervised by Barbara Evers and Laura Perry. Prior to his PhD, Hayes obtained a Masters by Coursework from Murdoch University in 2013, focusing on Multiculturalism in Australia: Enhancing social harmony and equality of opportunity. As a lecturer in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, he teaches and coordinates units including Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies (CJ-TCS) and Perspectives on Security and Terrorism (POL192).

Hayes' research specializations lie in the sociology of migration, ethnicity, and multiculturalism, and political science, with a strong emphasis on global security and issues in the Indo-Pacific region. His work explores the social and cultural capital possessed by refugee-background students, proposing an 'asset view' in an Australian context. He has investigated AUKUS through the perspective of militarised humanitarianism and analyzed how natural hazards contribute to political instability in the Indo-Pacific. Hayes has also examined the potential of disasters to drive reduced conflict risks and state transformations under economic security shadows, particularly in cases like Japan. Key publications authored or co-authored by Hayes include: “The social and cultural capital of refugee-background students: An Australian case for an 'asset view'” (with Laura Perry, 2024, Issues in Educational Research); “AUKUS 'behind the scenes': through the lens of militarised humanitarianism” (with Trissia Wijaya, 2024, Australian Journal of International Affairs); “Natural Hazards and Political Instability in the Indo-Pacific” (with Tobias Ide and Indah Larasati, 2024); “Disasters as drivers of reduced conflict risks in the Indo-Pacific” (with Tobias Ide et al., 2025, Australian Journal of International Affairs); and “State Transformation and Social Forces Under the Shadow of Economic Security: The Case of Japan” (with Trissia Wijaya, 2023, The Asia-Pacific Journal). Additionally, he contributes to funded projects such as Environmental Insecurity Risks in the Indo-Pacific Region, fostering interdisciplinary insights into security challenges.