About the Speaker

Professor Jeffrey Payne currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies. He pilots NESA’s maritime security programming, including its ongoing series devoted to the Indian Ocean Region and wider Indo-Pacific. In addition, he leads NESA’s engagements relating to maritime and littoral information sharing/data analysis.

Prof Payne conducts analyses on Chinese foreign policy, Indian Ocean Regional affairs, and maritime security. He is particularly interested in the intersection of maritime security and strategic competition in the Indian Ocean, as well as how technology and information can assist in furthering security cooperation. His work informs United States Combatant Commands, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and interagency efforts inside the United States government. Prof Payne takes part in United States government efforts relating to Maritime Domain Awareness and helps facilitate internal discussions across bureaucratic seams existing in the Indian Ocean. He has presented before international conclaves, security forums, and defence institutions in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia. Specific programs he leads under the NESA banner include the Indian Ocean Region Island Forum, the Quadrilateral Maritime Series, and the Collaborative Maritime Domain Awareness Series.

He hails from a landlocked U.S. state, potentially explaining his fascination with the sea. Prior to joining the NESA Center, Prof Payne served as a professor at Butler University and consulted for the World Bank. He performed graduate studies at Indiana University-Bloomington.