Dr Brendan Walker-Munro is an Associate Professor (Law) with the Faculty of Business, Law & the Arts at Southern Cross University. Brendan's academic focus is on "research security", the use of law and policy to protect university research from national security threats such as espionage, foreign interference, hacking, and illicit technology transfer.

He also researches other aspects of the intersection of national security law and higher education, such as research funding, secrecy obligations, staff and student privacy issues, and digital security.

Before academia, Brendan worked in investigation and law enforcement roles across diverse government agencies over fifteen years, including the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Fair Work Building & Construction, the NSW and Queensland Offices of Liquor and Gaming, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Prior to joining Southern Cross, Brendan was a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland's Law and the Future of War Research Group, where he analysed the legal implications of autonomous weapon systems and military AI.

Brendan is admitted to practise law in the Supreme Court of Queensland and also holds appointment as a Member of the Queensland Councillor Conduct Tribunal, the Disciplinary Panel of CPA Australia, and is also a Senior Research Fellow of the Social Cyber Institute.