Broadly speaking, Melissa is interested in issues at the nexus of psychology and the criminal justice system. In particular, Melissa's research focuses on the application of psychological theory to improve advance understandings of, and responses to, crime. She takes a collaborative approach, working with stakeholders in the criminal justice sector to inform more effective policy and practice, enhancing outcomes for people who have committed crime and reducing the burden of crime in the community. Melissa has expertise in quantitative and qualitative methodologies, including experimental design, program evaluation, cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, scale development and validation, and qualitative interviews. She has also trained as a clinical (forensic) psychologist.

Her principal area of research is the rehabilitation and reintegration of people who have committed crime. She explores this topic from both a basic psychological basis (how people process wrongdoing and how/when these psychological processes lead to positive attitudinal and desistance from crime) as well as an applied criminological basis (the effects of particular criminal justice interventions or procedures on rehabilitative outcomes). Her research has contributed to knowledge about the processes underlying behavioural change and has influenced national and international strategies to reduce reoffending.

A second research stream investigates the beliefs people have about crime and justice. She is particularly interested in psychological biases that influence people’s moral judgments, punitive attitudes, and justice-related cognitions. These beliefs have major impacts on the decisions and practices of people who work in the criminal justice system (e.g., police officers, judges, correctional officers) as well as feeding into broader societal attitudes and discourses about crime and criminal justice policy. Her work in this space has contributed to understanding and challenging common beliefs and attitudes that impede the effective reintegration of people who have been convicted of crime.

Melissa is also an affiliate member of the Centre for Social Impact, a national research network focused on solving complex social problems.