Background
Russell Miles is the Director of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), International Antarctic Policy team. He is responsible for strengthening Australian leadership on international Antarctic affairs, and enhancing Australia’s diplomatic engagement in the Antarctic Treaty system (ATS) – preserving the Antarctic as a place for scientific research, environmental protection, and non-militarisation. He leads DFAT efforts on Antarctic international public diplomacy (including science diplomacy), and increasing research and analysis on international polar and geopolitical issues.
Russell was previously the Director of the DFAT Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Section. Starting from COP 21 in Paris 2015, for seven years he was one of the Australian delegation’s lead negotiators on the UNFCCC Paris Agreement, and led the team responsible for policy development and UNFCCC multilateral negotiations on adaptation, loss and damage, capacity building, gender, diversity, human rights, IPCC, climate science and cryosphere issues.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Economics (International, Development and Environment), a post graduate diploma in International Business/Relations and a Bachelor of Business. More recently Russell undertook post-graduate studies on Antarctic and Arctic climate change, science, governance, policy and geopolitics, and he is currently a PhD candidate at the ANU focused on the Geopolitical ramifications of Antarctic climate change. Russell has significant international work experience and has been to both the Antarctic and Arctic.