Matthew Preston
Woodforde
Summary
- PhD in International Relations – Geopolitics, Military, and Strategic Studies focused. Expert researcher and writer: briefings, white papers, reports, and presentations.
- Four years + as a researcher with the Defence Department – DSTG: Middle East, China and Indo-Pacific focused. Influence and Conflict Analysis team. Currently with DIG: Intelligence Mission Data production.
- Current NV1 Security Clearance – AGSVA (CS ID: 867266).
- 10 years as a university lecturer, course creator and coordinator for Flinders University and the University of Adelaide.
- Maintained the highest Student Evaluation of Teaching scores in the department for a decade. Excellent communicator.
- Team leader experience in finance and university settings.
- Completed leadership training and other management courses through the Australian Defence Force.
- Excellent people, team, and project management skills – supervised hundreds of MBA and International Relations post-graduate research students.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Technical Intelligence Analyst and Researcher
Defence Intelligence Group
01.2023 - Current
- Conducting complex research and engineering analysis relating to weapon systems, platforms, radars, sensors, and military technologies for technical assessments and Intelligence Mission Data production.
Defence Science & Technology Group: Influence and Conflict Analysis Team
01.2021 - 12.2022
- Analyst researching, writing, and briefing on influence in the Asia-Pacific.
Lecturer: International Political Economy - Master’s
Adelaide University
01.2020 - 12.2020
- subject matter expert in international economics
Lecturer: International Relations of the Indo-Pacific – Master’s
Adelaide University
01.2020 - 12.2020
- Subject matter expert in the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific region.
Lecturer: International Commercial Law – Master’s
Flinders/Nankai Uni
01.2016 - 12.2020
Thesis Reviewer/Supervisor and Marker
Flinders/Nankai University
01.2016 - 12.2020
- I supervised 140+ Chinese students each year for their MBA master’s thesis, plus my Australian post-grad students. I am a very experienced mentor and supervisor.
Lecturer: Writing International Relations
Flinders/Nankai University
01.2020
Lecturer: Controversies in International Relations
Flinders University
01.2019 - 12.2020
Lecturer: Approaches to International Relations
Flinders University
01.2017 - 12.2020
Lecturer: Debating International Relations
Flinders University
01.2017 - 12.2019
Lecturer: Civil Wars and State Building
Flinders University
01.2014 - 12.2016
Lecturer: Nuclear Weapons, Non-Proliferation, & International Security
Flinders Uni
01.2014 - 12.2016
Committee Member: five-year review of the Master’s of IR and Trade
Flinders University
01.2018
Lecturer: The US Alliance and the Rise of China
Flinders University
01.2017 - 12.2018
Lecturer: Research Methods and Policy Analysis - Honour’s/Master’s
Flinders University
01.2016
- Taught the entire spectrum of research methods from statistics, to interview strategies, to finding methods that allowed control group creation and assessment for policy rollouts.
Lecturer: Security Studies
Flinders University
01.2015
Lecturer: Introduction to Strategic Studies
Flinders University
01.2014
Lecturer: The Modern International System
Flinders University
01.2013
Marker: Australia’s Strategic Environment
Australian National University
01.2012
Lead Researcher: History of the Afghan War Project
DSTO
01.2012 - 09.2013
- Contracted to the Defence Science & Technology Organisation for 1.5 years as a lead researcher
- Constructed a qualitative and quantitative history of daily events - military, political, and social – effecting the Afghan War
- Recontracted to write a book-length report: A Brief History of the Afghanistan War.
Team Leader: Product Switching
Westpac Mortgage Processing Centre
01.2008 - 12.2009
- Managing a team of contract switching specialists
- I was involved in a new platform rollout, project management, and training of staff.
Team Member
Westpac Mortgage Processing Centre
01.2007 - 12.2007
Education
Joint Executive Skills Program -
ADF
03.2024
PhD - Department of International Relations
Flinders University
01.2012
Bachelor of International Studies with Honours -
Adelaide University
01.2008
Skills
- Research and analysis
- Planning of development path and KPIs
- Presentations and briefings
- Project Management
Certification
- Project Management Diploma (2016 Alison)
- Security Officer Training (2022 ADF)
- Joint Operations Analysis (2022 ADF)
- Data Science: Data Literacy (2023 ADF)
- Intelligence Mission Data Production (2024 ADF)
Student Feedback
- "Also, I want to say thanks for a wonderful semester. Your subject definitely challenged me, but I have walked away feeling more confident in my ability to study, extract, and apply information and knowledge. Your encouragement and feedback has been super important to my growth as a student. I left school at the start of year 10, became a single mum at the age of 17 and pretty much wrote myself off as being able to achieve anything of significance. I had never written an essay or did an exam before starting uni. It has taken me to the age of 29 now, with an 11-year-old and in my last year of my degree to actually start to see that I can apply myself and achieve great things in this area of my life. Through my degree I have had many lecturers and tutorial teachers, but I have to say your method and approach has allowed me to really believe in myself more than any of the others and you have helped teach me that even though I don't always have the right answers, I have the mind and ability to find them. So, thanks again. I just wanted you to know that even though we discussed teaching methods in class today, in my circumstance, it had a much more, far reaching effect than just getting through 4.5 units of a degree." Ms Kristy Templer, Security Studies
- "I also wanted to say thank you for an incredible year of study. Your lectures and subject material, from the civil war and conflict in first semester, to IR theories this semester have been some of the best subjects I have taken in my education (which has been pretty extensive to date – PhD in Physics!). The passion, inquisitiveness, confidence, approach, and commitment to the students and subject matter is rare, and a gift to a student. I am sure the other students have appreciated and realise this too, and I consider myself very lucky to have had you as a teacher. Thank you for the inspiration, and playing a large part in providing me with the knowledge and exposure to International Relations that has confirmed my convictions to explore this path in my career." Mr Lachlan Wilson, Masters of International Relations
- "Through it all you were the only person to believe that I could submit a quality thesis in only three months. I remember your encouragement by saying a draft is possible in four weeks. Your confidence empowered me to be confident and keep a positive mindset ….. You did your job superbly. Better than the two previous supervisors who were assigned to me. Thank you for taking on the challenge; always believing in my research and writing abilities; assisting me in producing a Masters thesis; providing detailed feedback. I greatly appreciate all that you have done." Ms Purdina Guerra, Masters of International Relations
References
- Ms Priscilla Desrivieres, Team Leader – Joint Intelligence Production Centre, priscilla.desrivieres3@defence.gov.au, 0401 069 475
- Dr David Matthews, STaR Shot Leader – Information Warfare (EL2.2) DSTG, david.b.matthews@defence.gov.au, 0431 601 388
Timeline
Technical Intelligence Analyst and Researcher
Defence Intelligence Group
01.2023 - Current
Defence Science & Technology Group: Influence and Conflict Analysis Team
01.2021 - 12.2022
Lecturer: International Political Economy - Master’s
Adelaide University
01.2020 - 12.2020
Lecturer: International Relations of the Indo-Pacific – Master’s
Adelaide University
01.2020 - 12.2020
Lecturer: Writing International Relations
Flinders/Nankai University
01.2020
Lecturer: Controversies in International Relations
Flinders University
01.2019 - 12.2020
Committee Member: five-year review of the Master’s of IR and Trade
Flinders University
01.2018
Lecturer: Approaches to International Relations
Flinders University
01.2017 - 12.2020
Lecturer: Debating International Relations
Flinders University
01.2017 - 12.2019
Lecturer: The US Alliance and the Rise of China
Flinders University
01.2017 - 12.2018
Lecturer: International Commercial Law – Master’s
Flinders/Nankai Uni
01.2016 - 12.2020
Thesis Reviewer/Supervisor and Marker
Flinders/Nankai University
01.2016 - 12.2020
Lecturer: Research Methods and Policy Analysis - Honour’s/Master’s
Flinders University
01.2016
Lecturer: Security Studies
Flinders University
01.2015
Lecturer: Civil Wars and State Building
Flinders University
01.2014 - 12.2016
Lecturer: Nuclear Weapons, Non-Proliferation, & International Security
Flinders Uni
01.2014 - 12.2016
Lecturer: Introduction to Strategic Studies
Flinders University
01.2014
Lecturer: The Modern International System
Flinders University
01.2013
Lead Researcher: History of the Afghan War Project
DSTO
01.2012 - 09.2013
Marker: Australia’s Strategic Environment
Australian National University
01.2012
Team Leader: Product Switching
Westpac Mortgage Processing Centre
01.2008 - 12.2009
Team Member
Westpac Mortgage Processing Centre
01.2007 - 12.2007
Joint Executive Skills Program -
ADF
PhD - Department of International Relations
Flinders University
Bachelor of International Studies with Honours -
Adelaide University
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