Personal profile
Biography
Jacqui True, FASSA, FAIIA is Professor of International Relations and Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence against Women (CEVAW). She is also a Global Fellow, Peace Research Institute (PRIO), Oslo and received her PhD from York University, Toronto, Canada, and an honorary doctorate from Lund University Sweden in 2018. Previously she was Founding Director of Monash University’s Centre for Gender, Peace and Security. She has held academic positions at Michigan State University, the University of Southern California, and the University of Auckland as well as visiting fellowships at the Australian National University and Gothenburg University, Sweden.
Her current research is focused on the Women, Peace and Security agenda: Understanding the political economy of violence against women, sexual and gender-based violence in conflict in Asia Pacific; and the gender dimensions of violent extremism and conflict. This research is funded by the Australian Research Council, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the United Nations. Her book, The Political Economy of Violence Against Women (Oxford, 2012) won the American Political Science Association’s 2012 biennial prize for the best book in human rights, the British International Studies Association International Political Economy book prize in 2013, and the 2015 biennial Australian Political Science Association’s Carole Pateman book prize for gender and politics. Her most recent books are Violence against Women: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford, 2020). and with Sara E. Davies of The Oxford Handbook of Women, Peace and Security (2019) and Hidden Wars: Gendered Violence in Asia's Civil Conflicts (Oxford, forthcoming 2024).
In 2021 she was named one of the 100 most influential Person in Gender Policy – for the gender-based violence area.
Research area keywords
- gender
- international relations
- peace and security
- global governance
- feminist methodology
- women, peace and security agenda
- foreign policy analysis
- preventing violent extremism
- global politics
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):
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SDG 1 No Poverty
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 5 Gender Equality
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SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
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SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
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SDG 13 Climate Action
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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Climate Change and Violence Against Women in Australia
Mavisakalyan, A. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), True, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Holden, J. (Project Manager)
14/10/25 → 14/10/28
Project: Research
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CEVAW - Workstream 2.2: Preparedness for VAW and Exogenous Shocks
Davies, S. E. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), True, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Mavisakalyan, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Eddyono, S. W. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Marddent, A. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Wood, E. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Olsson, M.-L. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Gan, C. R. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Holden, J. (Project Manager)
8/09/25 → 8/09/28
Project: Research
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Gender-based violence in Fiji: An Adolescent Longitudal Study
Fisher, J. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Crookes, A. (Partner Investigator (PI)) & True, J. (Chief Investigator (CI))
31/07/25 → 30/01/30
Project: Research
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WS1.1: Nature, Prevalence and Change Over Time of VAW
Fisher, J. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), True, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Mavisakalyan, A. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Tran, T. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Tran, H. (Partner Investigator (PI))
1/01/24 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
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ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
True, J. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Carlson, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Douglas, H. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Davies, S. E. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Fisher, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Humphreys, C. F. (Chief Investigator (CI)), O'Leary, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wendt, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), D'Costa, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Mavisakalyan, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Mavisakalyan, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Flynn, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wilson, D. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Kidman, J. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Tolmie, J. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Naepi, S. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Wood, E. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Goodmark, L. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Anderson, S. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Kotsadam, A. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Marddent, A. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Eddyono, S. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Olsson, M.-L. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Cripps, K. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Mataia-Milo, L. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Crookes, A. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Maitra, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Tran, H. (Chief Investigator (CI))
ARC - Australian Research Council, University of Melbourne, Australian National University (ANU), Griffith University, Curtin University, Macquarie University, Monash University – Internal Faculty Contribution, Office of the eSafety Commissioner, Asia Foundation, Respect Victoria, ActionAid Australia, Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety Limited (ANROWS), Safe and Equal Inc (trading as Domestic Violence Victoria (DV Vic) Incorporated, No To Violence, Our Watch Limited, Western Australian Council of Social Services Inc, Domestic Violence NSW Inc, Wesnet (Women's Services Network) Incorporated, Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration, SMERU Research Institute, Black Rainbow, Gaston Zavalla Ortigas Peace Institute, UNFPA - United Nations Population Fund (Headquarters), Thammasat University, Lunivesite Aoao o Samoa (National University of Samoa), University of the South Pacific, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Gadjah Mada University), Peace Research Institute (PRIO), Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research, Auckland University of Technology, Research and Training Center for Community Development (RTCCD), University of Auckland, University of British Columbia, University of Maryland Baltimore , Victoria University of Wellington, Yale University, Australian Institute of Women Judges, Kornar Winmil Yunti Aboriginal Corporation, Women's Safety Services SA Incorporated, DVConnect Limited, Koorie Women Mean Business Incorporated, National Indigenous Australians Agency, Breaking Silent Codes Network Incorporated, Department of Social Services (DSS) (Australia) , National Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Ltd (trading as The Lowitja Institute), Fiji Women's Rights Movement, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) (Australia), Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of New South Wales (AH&MRC), Raoul Wallenberg Institute
1/01/24 → 31/12/30
Project: Research
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Bridging the gap: gender mainstreaming and counterterrorism in multilateral institutions
Ribeiro Assumpcao, C., True, J. & Flynn, A., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Critical Studies on Terrorism. 32 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Funding, Power, and Resistance: How International Aid Shapes Feminist Movements in Fiji
Dhanani, P. R., Flynn, A. & True, J., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Social Politics. 27 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Gendered precarity and violence in (de)globalising Asia: current trends and future research
True, J., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Global Political Economy. 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment / Debate › Other
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The long-term relationship between war and attitudes toward domestic violence: Evidence from Vietnam
Doan-Pham, P., Mavisakalyan, A. & True, J., May 2026, In: Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics. 122, 23 p., 102567.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Towards a feminist theory of war economy
Hozić, A. A. & True, J., 2026, War Economy: Gendered Circuits of Violence and Capital. Hozić, A. A. & True, J. (eds.). 1st ed. Abingdon Oxon UK: Routledge, p. 1-18 18 p. (RIPE Series in Global Political Economy).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
Prizes
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100 most influential Person in Gender Policy
True, J. (Recipient), 30 Mar 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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American Political Science Association Biennial Prize for the Best Book in Human Rights
True, J. (Recipient), 2013
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Australian Political Science Association Carole Pateman Gender and Politics Book Prize
True, J. (Recipient), 2015
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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British International Studies Association International Political Economy Book Prize
True, J. (Recipient), 2014
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Activities
- 1 Submissions to industry or govt committees, commissions and inquiries
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Towards Toward a Pro-Gender Quality Foreign Policy and Full Implementation of the 2016 DFAT Gender Strategy
True, J. (Contributor), Lee-Koo, K. (Contributor), Gunawardana, S. (Contributor), Jay, H. (Contributor) & Wolf, L. (Contributor)
2016Activity: External Academic Engagement › Submissions to industry or govt committees, commissions and inquiries
Press/Media
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‘What Happens Next?’: Women’s Safety and Gender Equality
Carland, S., True, J., Tan, S. & Williams, B.
18/11/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blogs, Podcasts and Social Media › Podcasts
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‘We are in a bubble that is set to burst’. Why urgent support must be given to domestic violence workers
Pfitzner, N., Fitz-Gibbon, K. & True, J.
1/07/20
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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New reports of family violence spike in COVID-19 lockdown, study finds
Pfitzner, N., Fitz-Gibbon, K. & True, J.
8/06/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Growing Threats of Violent Extremism: The Urgency for a Gender-Based Response
Phelan, A., Johnston, M. & True, J.
8/03/20
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blogs, Podcasts and Social Media › Blogs
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The Political Economy of Violence against Women in Africa
30/03/15
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment