Rate My Professor Brendan Walker-Munro

Dr Brendan Walker-Munro is an Associate Professor (Law) in the Faculty of Business, Law and the Arts at Southern Cross University, based at the Gold Coast campus. He possesses a diverse academic background, including a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science and Molecular Biology from Murdoch University, a Bachelor of Neuroscience (Honours) from the University of Western Australia, a Master of Occupational Health and Safety, a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, a Juris Doctor with Distinction from the University of Southern Queensland, and a PhD from Swinburne University. Prior to entering academia, Walker-Munro accumulated fifteen years of experience in investigative and law enforcement roles across various Australian government agencies, such as the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Fair Work Building and Construction, the New South Wales and Queensland Offices of Liquor and Gaming, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. He is admitted to practise law in the Supreme Court of Queensland. Before joining Southern Cross University, he held the position of Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland's Law and the Future of War Research Group.

Walker-Munro's research specializations centre on research security, encompassing the application of law and policy to protect university research from national security threats including espionage, foreign interference, hacking, and technology transfer. His work also explores intersections between national security law and higher education, covering areas such as research funding, privacy, and digital security. He contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through his research. Notable appointments include Member of the Queensland Councillor Conduct Tribunal, member of the Disciplinary Panel of CPA Australia, Senior Research Fellow of the Social Cyber Institute, and Expert Associate (Adjunct) at the National Security College, Australian National University. Key publications include 'Making Australia's research security ecosystem work smarter' (Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 2025), '(Professor) Hadrian's Wall: The Role of the Australian Research Council in Research Security' (University of New South Wales Law Journal, 2025), 'Moving beyond "dual use": quantum technologies and the need for new research security paradigms' (EPJ Quantum Technology, 2025), 'National security, foreign investment & research security' (University of Tasmania Law Review, 2024), and as editor of 'The Routledge International Handbook of Research Security' (Routledge, 2025). He has delivered public lectures, including at the European Commission's Conference on Research Security in Brussels.