Calculated based on number of publications stored in Pure and citations from Scopus
20162025

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Research Biography

I research young people and social harm – issues like violence, bullying and loneliness.

Viral videos of school bullying and anxiety over social media’s impact on young people’s social skills are an endless source of moral panic. But stories about violent and uncontrollable young people have inspired fear in Australia for generations. Try asking your (grand) parents about the “bodgies” and “widgies” of the 1950s.

The labels we give youth subcultures have changed, but the patterns of moral panic have not. My research steps back from eye-catching behaviours to investigate where violence is an invisible and accepted part of Australian society that shapes young people’s lives.

If we want to build a safer world, we must ask hard questions why violence is celebrated in professional sports, but not on the school oval? Why is bullying acceptable in Parliament, but not in the classroom? Why are young people so lonely when they are surrounded by friends and family?

I tackle these questions using a social lens. Rather than looking for the cause of violence inside young people’s minds and bodies, I follow the patterns of harm and inequalities deeply embedded in our stories, institutions, and societies. 

Youth Worker and Sociologist

Prior to my academic career, I worked in the Non-Government Youth Work sector with young people around issues of violence and justice in alternative education and accommodation contexts. I keep connected to this sector through supporting networks like the Southern Youth Round Table and conferences like YP + Me.

In my research, I approach youth and social issues through a sociological lens. I use this lens to teach the Social Policy topics in the Bachelor and Marster of Social Work. Rather than requiring student to read mountains of policy, I use a flipped classroom approach and a bespoke podcast to transform the classroom into a space for debate about how should collectively respond to big social issues (e.g. Health Care, Public Education or Housing and Homelessness).

Podcast

Making and Breaking Social Policy 

Qualifications

PhD (Sociology), Flinders University

Master of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney

BA (Youth Work), Tabor

 

Research Interests

  • Youth and Social Harm
  • Loneliness
  • Violence
  • Bullying
  • Youth Policy
  • Youth Work Practice

Supervisor Philosophy

I enjoy supporting the next generation of researchers passionate about youth and social harm. You can find a short video about my supervisory philosophy here

Career Highlights

 

2024 - Early Career Research Excellence Award, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University

2024 - Best Lived Experience Engagement and Involvement in Research (Early-to-Mid-Career Researcher), Flinders University Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing

2023 - Visiting Fellow, St Johns College, Durham University, UK

2023 - Vice-Chancellor's Award for Early Career Researchers, Flinders University

2023 - Impact Seed Funding for Early Career Researchers, Flinder University

2023 - Teaching Excellence Award, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University

2023 - Best Presentation - Youth Studies and Informal Education Special Interest Group, British Educational Research Association Conference 2023

2018 - Vice-Chancellor's Best Higher Degree by Research Student Publication, Flinders University

2018 - Conference Travel Grant, Flinders University to present at the International Sociological Association XIX World Congress, Toronto

2017 - Student Publication Prize x2, School of Social and Policy Studies, Flinders University

2014 - 1st place, 3 Minute Thesis competition, Flinders University

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 4 - Quality Education
  • SDG 5 - Gender Equality
  • SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Supervision

  • Registered

Research Areas

  • Social work
  • Sociology

Supervisory Interests

  • Violence
  • Youth violence, evaluation, intervention
  • Youth studies
  • Youth inequality
  • Social policy
  • School bullying
  • Loneliness

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