Terry Macdonald was born and educated in Melbourne, Australia, before taking M.Phil and D.Phil degrees in International Relations from Oxford University (Nuffield College). She has previously held positions as a Research Fellow and Lecturer in Politics at Merton College, Oxford, and as a Research Fellow at the Australian National University (ANU), within the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE). She is currently employed as a Lecturer in Global Politics at Monash University, Melbourne.