Dr Nicole Townsend is a Lecturer in History at UNSW Canberra, where she has taught at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Her research focuses broadly on Australian  military and diplomatic history, with a particular focus on Australian relations with and strategic interests in the Middle East. She has particular expertise in Australia's involvement in the Second World War and the experiences of the Italian-Australian community during that conflict. She has also previously worked on the Official History of Australian Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, where she authored chapters on special operations; train, advise, assist missions in Iraq; logistics; and the anti-Iraq War movement in Australia.

Nicole is currently a Director of the Second World War Research Group, Asia Pacific.