It is with a heavy heart that the School of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS) announces the passing of our colleague Dr Peter Chalk, who died on Friday afternoon (20 June) surrounded by his family, following a short illness.
Peter rejoined our school as an adjunct last year after over two decades providing expert advice and analysis on issues of terrorism, counterterrorism and transnational security threats.
Peter began his career at UQ in the mid-late 1990s as a lecturer in International Relations (in what was then the School of Government). This followed the awarding of his PhD from the University of British Columbia in 1995, and his MA (First Class) from the University of Aberdeen in 1990.
When he left UQ, Peter became a senior analyst at RAND and then spent two decades at the Institute for Security Governance in California before returning to Brisbane last year to become an independent consultant.
Peter was an internationally renowned analyst whose career saw over 100 publications including academic books, chapters, journal articles, peer-reviewed reports and sector analyses. His books Non-Military Security and Global Order: The Impact of Extremism, Violence and Chaos on National and International Security (2000) and West European Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism: The Evolving Dynamic (1996) paved the way for our discipline’s understanding of violent extremism before the events of 9/11.
His analysis of our region has also profoundly shaped the policies and understanding of states and regional organisations. His expertise had been called on by the US House and Senate Intelligence Committees and US and Australian Federal and District courts along with countless regional organisations. Peter has been a highly cited author, and his research reached audiences across academic, government, military and analyst organisations.
Since his return to UQ Peter has been an active and engaged member of POLSIS, providing guest lectures, research seminars and supporting our engagement with government agencies.
While working with new colleagues in the school over the past year, Peter had long and renewed connections with many staff. At the start of his UQ career, he had worked with our School Manager Christina Jack during an ARC project. He also taught both the School’s Director of Research Matt McDonald and Head of School Katrina Lee Koo when they were undergraduates and encouraged both to challenge traditional security paradigms. He particularly supported Matt, as his MA supervisor, to conduct research at the intersection of environmental change and security.
POLSIS extends our sincere condolences to Peter’s family. He will be missed.
