Bianca Birdsall joined the National Security College as Senior Adviser in May 2024, on secondment from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Prior to this she was Deputy Chief of Staff to the Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for International Development and the Pacific.

This followed more than a decade of experience in senior APS roles, including: key bilateral and multilateral goods trade issues and negotiations in the Office of Trade Negotiations (DFAT); Indo-Pacific critical infrastructure investment in the Office of the Pacific (DFAT); and strategic policy and coordination roles at PM&C in national security, Cabinet, governance, and Indigenous Affairs.

Bianca holds a Bachelor of Arts in History, Politics, and International Relations from the University of New South Wales, a Master of Media Practice from the University of Sydney, and has also studied at Columbia University, University of Cape Town, and University of Virginia.