Cynthia Mehboob is an experienced development practitioner with a strong background in senior roles across higher education and the not-for-profit sectors in Australia and overseas. She has led projects at Monash University, contributed to Mission Australia’s Communities for Children initiative, and supported World Vision’s 30-Hour Famine program in Malaysia. Her PhD research explores the intricate dynamics between human, non-human, and more-than-human factors that influence Australia's digital infrastructure securitisation, with a focus on the politics surrounding undersea cables in the Indo-Pacific.

In addition to her academic work, Cynthia has engaged in media discussions on undersea and other digital infrastructure, aiming to illustrate the urgent economic and national security challenges that could impact Australia’s strategic interests. Her work has appeared in The Conversation, The Interpreter (Lowy Institute), Channel News Asia (CNA), Baird Maritime, and other outlets. She has participated in digital infrastructure-focused discussions on various Australian radio channels and appeared on the Melbourne Asia Review and Jakarta Post’s Ear to Asia podcast, where she discussed the geopolitics of undersea cables in the Indo-Pacific region.