Kathryn Benier is a Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Social Sciences. Her research focus is urban criminology and the neighbourhood ecology of crime. In particular, Kathryn’s work focuses on hate crime and the impact of immigration and ethnic diversity on social relationships, cohesion and sense of belonging over time. She also has a research interest in family and domestic violence, with a strong focus on the geospatial distribution of offences and the consequences of victimisation. Kathryn has an interest in quantitative methodology, and extending new statistical techniques in other fields into criminological research.

Prior to joining Monash University, Kathryn worked at the Australian Institute of Criminology, and she also has experience in Queensland Government’s Youth Justice Performance and Reporting team. She completed her PhD at the University of Queensland, where she also completed Honours (1st Class) in Criminology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.