Leo S.F. Lin

Dr Leo S.F. Lin is a Senior Lecturer in Security Studies at the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security (AGSPS), Charles Sturt University. He serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Salus Journal, the School’s double-blind peer-reviewed publication dedicated to law enforcement, national security, and emergency management.

Dr Lin brings over 20 years of practitioner and academic experience to the critical intersection of transnational crime, policing, and emerging technologies. His work focuses on building national resilience against hybrid threats, bridging the gap between academic rigour and operational reality.

He holds a PhD in International Development (University of Southern Mississippi), an MA in International Relations (University of Indianapolis), and a BA in Crime Prevention and Corrections (Central Police University). Dr Lin has delivered undergraduate and postgraduate programs across the Indo-Pacific, with prior academic appointments at Ming Chuan University (Department of Criminal Justice), Central Police University (Department of Administrative Management), the University of Malaya (Department of International and Strategic Studies), and the University of Glasgow (International Master in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies).

His academic leadership is grounded in operational experience. His policing career includes service as a Senior Police Liaison Officer (Police Attaché) in Washington D.C. and as a criminal investigator, roles that enrich his teaching and research on cybercrime, policing, and crisis management. Dr Lin holds multiple professional certifications, including Operational Risk Management (Taiwan), Cyber Intelligence (McAfee Institute), Crisis Management (FBI), Emergency Planning (FEMA), and Major Event Security (APEC).

Dr Lin establishes a forward-looking research agenda in the critical field of Techno-Security & Resilience, intersecting traditional security studies with digital frontiers. His work integrates Criminology, International Relations, and Emergency Management to build national resilience against hybrid threats, including transnational organised crime, AI-enabled fraud, and complex emergencies. His current work examines emerging technological threats such as cryptocurrency-related financial crime, deepfakes, and online harms, while promoting national resilience through emergency management, civil defence, and civil-military cooperation.

Dr Lin has published numerous journal articles and book chapters, alongside several books, including his award-winning monograph on Asian Organised Crime. In 2025, Dr Lin served as Chief Investigator for the Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Futures Institute (AICF) Seed Funding project at Charles Sturt University, leading innovative cybercrime research. He remains an active contributor to the global security community, serving as a reviewer for the Australasian Simulation Congress and a judge for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) 40 Under 40 Awards (of which he is a past recipient). His work actively contributes to policy advancements in emergency management and criminology, aligning closely with Australia’s strategic priorities.