Dr. Vanessa Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Defence Studies at Canadian Forces College and assumes a variety of defense research and advisory roles. Dr. Brown is an Adjunct Professor at the Inter-American Defense College in Washington DC and serves as Program Chair for Canada’s Inter-University Seminar on the Armed Forces and Society. In recent years Dr. Brown was an Assistant Professor with the Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security developing curriculum and research on gender and operations for the United Nations Chief Heads of Defense Network on Women, Peace and Security. Dr. Brown was the first Gender Advisor to Commander of the Canadian Defence Academy. She received a commendation from the Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff for her commissioned report which applies gender-based and intersectional analysis to military education and culture at Canadian Forces College. Her research focuses on organizational culture change, advancing gender and intersectional perspectives in security, as well as the use of military Gender Advisors/Gender Focal Points institutionally and operationally. Dr. Brown is also conducting a regional study on gender-based violence facilitated by small arms and its relationship to international law, norms, and policy on arms trade.