David Mickler is Director (Global), John Curtin Institute of Public Policy (JCIPP); Dean Global, Africa; Director, Centre for Australia-Africa Relations; and an Associate Professor in International Relations at Curtin University, Perth.

He is the Co-Chair of the flagship Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN), and co-convenes the AAUN Emerging Leaders in Australia-Africa Diplomacy (ELAAD) program. He also convenes the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) Australia Awards Africa short course on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa, and previously convened the Australia-Africa Literacy course for the DFAT Diplomatic Academy in Canberra.

A/Prof. Mickler is a Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), a Future Africa Visiting Fellow, University of Pretoria, South Africa, a Research Affiliate, Department of Diplomacy and International Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya, and a Fellow, Nile Executive Leadership Academy, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia.

He also serves as the Australian Representative to the Indian Ocean Rim Association Academic Group (IORAG) and convenes the annual IORA collaborative regional short course International Relations in the Indian Ocean Region. He is the Founder and Deputy Co-Chair of the IORA Indian Ocean University Network (UNIOR), and serves on the Indian Ocean Triennial Australia (IOTA) Management Committee.

He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Organisation of African Communities in Western Australia (OACWA), the Africa Network of Critical Security Scholars (ANeCS), and the Women in Security, Peace and Diplomacy Network (WISPAD), Nigeria.

A/Prof. Mickler was previously Founding Director, Africa Research & Engagement Centre (AfREC), University of Western Australia; Chair, Faculty Africa Regional Strategy Group, University of Melbourne; and Inaugural Co-Chair, Global Africa Group, Worldwide Universities Network (WUN). He has also been a visiting scholar at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and at the African Union Commission, Ethiopia and South Africa, and has developed academic partnerships in several African countries.

A/Prof. Mickler works closely on Africa and Indian Ocean research, teaching, training and external engagement with a range of stakeholders in academia, government, industry and diaspora communities. His books include New Engagement: Contemporary Australian Foreign Policy Towards Africa (2013), The African Union: Addressing the Challenges of Peace, Security and Governance (2016), and Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals (2020). He is a Chief Investigator on the Australian Research Council Discovery Project African Impact in Australia  (2023-26) and Co-lead on the research project Australia-Africa Science Diplomacy: Collaborative Research, Policy Impact and International Cooperation (2024-26).

His awards include: Community Pillar (Excellence in Innovation) Award, Western Australian African Community Awards 2018; Global Award for Leadership, Curtin University Global Awards 2023; Friend of Zimbabwe Award, Zimbabwe Achievers Awards (ZAA) Australia 2024; Global Impact Award, Curtin University Global Awards 2024; Individual Award—Outstanding Contribution to the Advancement of African Australians, inaugural African Australian Multicultural Celebration hosted by the African Australian Advocacy Centre 2025; Award for Service to the Curtin Global Community (Centre for Australia-Africa Relations), Curtin University Global Awards 2025; Friend of Africans Award (Oceania Region), World African Researchers, Engineers, Entrepreneurs, and Scientists Alliance (WARESA) 2025; Inclusive Mentorship & Leadership Award, National Association of Nigerian Students in Diaspora (NANSD), 2026.