Lisa Otto is an Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the NRF-SARChI Chair in African Diplomacy and Foreign Policy at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), as well as co-editor in chief of the journal African Security Review. She holds a D.Litt et Phil in Political Studies from UJ and a MA in International Peace and Security from King’s College London. She has specialised in African issues related to conflict, security, foreign affairs, and diplomacy and has developed specific expertise in maritime security and ocean politics as well as climate change in this context. Some of her recent work includes the article 'Exploring maritime diplomacy of small island developing states in Africa: cases of Mauritius and Seychelles', published in the Journal of the Indian Ocean Region in 2022. A volume she co-edited, entitled Global Challenges in Maritime Security: Sustainability and the Sea is being published by Springer in 2024.