Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Bridget is Director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre and leads Monash Criminology, as Convenor of Criminology.
She is an interdisciplinary researcher and has published and presented her work in the areas of:
- intimate partner / domestic / family and sexual violence
- technology-facilitated violence, advocacy and justice administration in the context of intimate partner, domestic, family and sexual violence
- violence against women in rural, remote and regional places
- access to justice (including in regional, rural and remote areas, and postcode justice)
She has been invited to advise police and legal bodies on technology-facilitated abuse, stalking and harm and, gender-based violence in regional, rural and remote communities (incidents and experiences; informal and formal responses; technology-facilitated violence and advocacy in non-urban places). Her work in these fields was heavily cited in and used to inform recommendations made by the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence. Bridget's research on technology-facilitated violence has also been used in the formulation of national and international guides, reports and research, including by the United Kingdom Houses of Parliament, Office of Science and Technology. Her work on technology-facilitated violence, gender-based violence, access to justice and rural criminology has informed other government and non-government inquiries as well as policy and practice reforms and recommendations, including in the recent review - The Justice Project - undertaken by the Law Council of Australia (focused on the state of access to justice in the nation).
Nominations and Awards:
Teaching Awards
As an educator, Bridget has received staff and student nominated teaching awards, including the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2012, from Monash University.
Service Awards
In 2017 she received the Vice Chancellor's Performance Award for Service Excellence, from Queensland University of Technology.
Research, Impact and Engagement Awards and Nominations
Bridget has received:
- The Bruce Mansfield Award for Outstanding Research in her Honours year, undertaken at Macquarie University.
- A nomination (as the 2014 School of Social Sciences Candidate) for the Mollie Holman Doctoral Medal for Excellence in a PhD thesis. Less than 3% of candidates are considered for this award.
- The Australia and New Zealand Society of Criminology New Scholar Prize, in 2019
- The Australia and New Zealand Society of Criminology Outstanding Policing Research Award, with colleagues Dr Zarina Vakhitova, Dr Mary Iliadis, Associate Professors Asher Flynn, in 2022
- A Monash University Faculty of Arts Excellence for Research Impact Award and was nominated for a Vice Chancellor's Award in this category, in 2023
- A Monash University Faculty of Arts Excellence for Research Team of the Year Award, with Dr Naomi Pfitzner and Dr Jasmine McGowan, and was nominated for a Vice Chancellor's Award in this category, in 2024
- The Comissioner's Award for Excellence, from the Queensland Police Service, with colleagues involved in the development and delivery of family and domestic violence training (for her role in this program since 2022), in 2024.
She was also named the nation's Top Researcher in Criminology, Criminal Law and Policing, 2025 (in 2024) and 2024 (in 2023) by The Australian, which is determined by ranking both the quality of the research (by examining only top journals in each field) and the impact of the research (judged by the number of citations) in the field, over the past five years.
Funded Research (Grants): From 2016-2021 she was awarded three esteemed Australian Institute of Criminology 'Criminology Research Council' grants:
- Spaceless Violence and Advocacy: Technology-facilitated Abuse, Stalking and Service Provision in Australia (lead, with Dr Delanie Woodlock, Women’s Legal Service NSW and Professor Harry Blagg)
- Reducing Crime and Incarceration Rates in Aboriginal Communities: The Impact of the ‘Yes I Can’ Adult Literacy Campaign (led by Dr Jenny Wise with Associate Professor Bob Boughton, Adjunct Professor Jack Beetson and Dr Nickson)
- Police Body-worn Camera Technology in Response to Domestic and Family Violence: A National Study of Victim-Survivor Perspectives and Experiences (led by Dr Mary Iliadis, with Dr Danielle Tyson, Associate Professor Asher Flynn and Dr Zarina Vakhitova).
In 2018, with Dr Delanie Woodlock, she won an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia grant to host a workshop on Technology and Domestic Violence: Experiences, Perpetration and Responses, with leading national academics, advocates and practitioners. Other (Australian Communications Consumer Action Network) funded research includes Domestic Violence and Communication Technology: Victim Experiences of Intrusion, Surveillance, and Identity Theft; Associate Professor Molly Dragiewicz, Dr Bridget Harris, Dr Michael Salter, Dr Delanie Woodlock, Women's Legal Service Queensland and Women's Legal Service New South Wales (2018-2019). She has also completed projects on Virtual Reality and Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence with Dr Claire Ferguson (QUT funded) and Body Worn Cameras: Examining the Merits of Body Worn Camera Technologies in Domestic and Family Violence Cases led by Dr Mary Iliadis, with Dr Danielle Tyson, Associate Professor Asher Flynn and Dr Zarina Vakhitova (funded by Deakin University).
In 2019 she was awarded an Australian Research Council DECRA (Discovery Early Career Research Award, 2020-2024) to complete a project on State responses to technology-facilitated domestic violence.
From 2020-2023 she was part of a Melbourne University led-team (Dr Dana McKay, Renee Fiolet, Dr Charlynn Miller, Cynthia Brown, Kobe Leins, Dr Nwakego Isika) awarded a Melbourne Social Equity Institute Grant: Why do they do that? An investigation into the perpetrator perspective of technology-facilitated abuse (external team: Dr Delanie Woodlock, Jasmine Purches, Vibol Hy, Dr Bridget Harris). She also led a 2020-2021 eSafety Commissioner funded grant (with Dr Delanie Woodlock, WESNET and WWILD) that explored tech-abuse experiences of women with cognitive or intellectual disability.
Information about her other 2022-2026 (government and industry) funded research projects is available via the projects tab on this page, and includes projects on elder abuse, victims views of sentencing, weaponising and harnessing technology in the context of gendered violence, and the policing of gendered violence.
Bridget's book, edited with Dr Delanie Woodlock - Technology and Domestic and Family Violence: Victimisation, Perpetration and Responses - features contributions from leading international advocates, practitioners and academics, and was published by Routledge in 2023.
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):
External positions
Vice President, International Society for the Study of Rural Criminology
2023 → …
Research Associate, West Virginia University
2019 → …
Adjunct Associate Professor, University of New England (Australia)
2017 → …
Research area keywords
- domestic and family violence
- Violence against women
- technology-facilitated violence
- Sexual violence
- Technology-facilitated advocacy and responses to violence
- Gender-based violence
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Elder abuse and cognitive impairment
Burns, K. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Warren, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Harris, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Pfitzner, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Banks, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Benier, K. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Moir , E. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Stevens , C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lim, Y. Y. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Avella Archila, A. (Project Manager)
15/01/25 → 1/06/26
Project: Research
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Supporting secondary school teachers to address online spaces as pathways to gender-based violence for boys and men: teacher professional development to tackle the influence of the 'manosphere'
Pfitzner, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), McCook, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wescott, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Roberts, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Phelan, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Clark , O. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Hewson-Munro, S. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Hendriks, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Cavalin, R. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Hendriks, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Harris, B. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Contos, C. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Atkin, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Eap, K. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Trevaskis, L. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Willmett , S. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Fahour, H. (Associate Investigator (AI))
29/07/24 → 30/06/26
Project: Research
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Research on elder abuse in regional, rural and remote communities
Harris, B. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Pfitzner, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Burns, K. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Benier, K. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Warren, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Gear , C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Stevens , C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Cations , M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Moir , E. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Parkinson, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Adams, K. (Chief Investigator (CI))
Attorney-General's Department (Australia)
6/06/24 → 30/06/25
Project: Research
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Targeting TFA perpetration and enhancing accountability: Equipping the perpetrator intervention sector
Harris, B. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), McGowan, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Vasil, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fiolet, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Brown, C. (Chief Investigator (CI))
14/02/24 → 14/02/26
Project: Research
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Building State responses to technology-facilitated domestic violence
Harris, B. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
20/06/20 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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How police body-worn cameras can facilitate misidentification in domestic and family violence responses
Iliadis, M., Harris, B. A., Vakhitova, Z., Woodlock, D., Flynn, A. & Tyson, D., 2024, In: Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice. 684, p. 1-15 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus) -
Navigating megatrends: The ICPD Programme of action for a sustainable future
Robinson, A., Harris, B. A. & Nations, U., 2024, United Nations Population Fund (United States of America). 8 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned Report › Other
File -
Police body-worn camera technologies in responses to domestic and family violence: A national study of victim-survivor perspectives and experiences
Iliadis, M., Harris, B., Vakhitova, Z., Woodlock, D., Flynn, A. & Tyson, D., Feb 2024, Australia: Australian Institute of Criminology. 64 p.Research output: Book/Report › Other Report › Other › peer-review
Open Access -
‘You have to be really careful’: technology and the abuse of women with intellectual and cognitive disabilities
Woodlock, D. & Harris, B., 2024, In: Disability and Society. 39, 4, p. 953-973 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Australian users’ experiences with control features on social media services and online dating apps
Flynn, A., Wheildon, L. J., Robards, B., Vakhitova, Z. & Harris, B. A., 2023, Clayton Vic Australia: Monash University. 45 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned Report › Other
File
Prizes
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Australia and New Zealand Society of Criminology New Scholar Award
Harris, B. (Recipient), 2019
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Australia and New Zealand Society of Criminology Outstanding Policing Research Award
Vakhitova, Z. (Recipient), Iliadis, M. (Recipient), Harris, B. (Recipient), Tyson, D. (Recipient) & Flynn, A. (Recipient), 2022
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Bruce Mansfield Award for Outstanding Research
Harris, B. (Recipient), 2008
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
-
Dean's Award: Excellence for Research Impact
Harris, B. (Recipient), 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
-
Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence
Harris, B. (Recipient), 2012
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
- 1 Submissions to industry or govt committees, commissions and inquiries
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Submission to the Royal Commission into Family Violence
Harris, B. (Contributor) & George, A. (Contributor)
2015Activity: External Academic Engagement › Submissions to industry or govt committees, commissions and inquiries
Press/Media
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Migrant women are particularly vulnerable to technology-facilitated domestic abuse
Douglas, H., Harris, B. & Dragiewicz, M.
1/02/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature