# Natalie Sambhi

> Natalie is Founder and Executive Director of Verve Research, an independent research collective focussed on the relationship between militaries and societies in Southeast Asia.

Source: https://ras-nsa.ca/en/expert/natalie-sambhi/
Modified: 2026-08-21

Natalie is Founder and Executive Director of Verve Research, an independent research collective focussed on the relationship between militaries and societies in Southeast Asia. She is also a Non-resident Fellow with the Brookings Institution’s Foreign Policy Program and a PhD scholar at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, the Australian National University, focussing on Indonesian military history. In 2018, the Royal United Services Institute awarded her the Leo Mahony bursary to support her doctoral research. Natalie has been a guest lecturer and presenter at the Australian National University, Australian National Security College, Australian War College, Indonesian National Resilience Institute (LEMHANNAS), Indonesian Defense University, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canadian Department of National Defence and several international think tanks and universities. Her writing has appeared in Security Challenges journal, South China Morning Post, War On The Rocks, The Diplomat, The Interpreter and The National Interest. Natalie has previously been involved with the Australian Institute of International Affairs ACT; the US-based Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC) and was a founding member of the Women in Defence and Security Network (WDSN).