Marina Tsirbas is senior executive adviser for policy engagement at the National Security College, The Australian National University. She joined the National Security College in June 2015 as Senior Executive Advisor (Policy Engagement).

She is responsible, working with the Head of College, for leading the policy engagement activities of the NSC and its contribution to policy making in the national security arena. She convenes and represents the NSC at policy forums, and contributes to the executive and professional development program.

Marina has extensive experience in foreign, trade and security policy, having been an Assistant Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) since 2008.

At PM&C she served as a Branch Head in International Division and in the National Security Division and as Head of the International Strategy Unit.

Prior to this, Marina worked for twelve years in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in a range of multilateral and bilateral roles. In particular, she focused on security policy (including representing Australia at UN negotiations), the Australia-US relationship, and international legal issues (including collective security, the use of force and the law of the sea).

She served as Deputy Head of Mission in the Netherlands (2000 – 2003) and as Charge d’Affaires in East Timor for a period in early 2006.

Marina holds an LLM degree from the University of Cambridge, BA (Jur) and LLB (Hons, 1st) degrees from the University of Adelaide, and has been a Visiting Fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, Cambridge.