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Convenor
Professor Michele Grossman AM
AVERT Founder and Convenor Emeritus
Deakin University
Institution
Deakin University
Research Areas
Resilience to violent extremismPreventing and countering violent extremismWomen and terrorismTerrorist recruitmentCultural semiotics of terrorism.
Professor Michele Grossman AM is Research Chair in Diversity and Community Resilience at the Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, where she is also Director of the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies, a research consortium funded by the CVE Branch of the Victorian Dept. of Justice and Community Safety. She is the founder of the AVERT (Addressing Violent Extremism and Radicalisation to Terrorism) Research Network and serves as its Co-Convener. Michele’s research focuses on how best to engage communities and build resilience at different levels in countering violent extremist recruitment, action and ideology through support from a wide range of government and academic funding schemes, including the UK’s Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST), Australia’s Department of Home Affairs and ANZCTC, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program, Public Safety Canada and the USA’s National Institute of Justice. Her groundbreaking work between 2015-2023 on community reporting on violent extremism concerns by social intimates has led to significant government policy and program impacts, including Step Together in Australia and the National Counter-Terrorism Police’s Act Early in the UK. Michele’s current research includes an Australian Research Council Discovery Program grant on grievance-fuelled violence; an investigation of Australian rural-regional community capacity for countering violent extremism, and a study on the role of religious mentoring across religions for disengaging violent extremists. Her most recent book (co-edited with Hisham Hellyer) is Rethinking Religion and Radicalization: Terrorism and Violence Twenty Years After 9/11 (Bloomsbury, 2025). Michele is Co-Editor of the scholarly journal Terrorism and Political Violence and was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours List for significant service to tertiary education through her research, and for social welfare initiatives.
Key Publications
Journal Articles
| A bridge too far? An academic-national security dialogue on research collaboration across the divide (2021) | Grossman M and Davis N |
| Terrorism Confidential: Ethics, primary data and the construction of ‘necessary fictions’ (2021) | Grossman M and Gerrand V |
| Community reporting on violent extremism by “intimates”: Emerging international evidence (2020) | Thomas P, Grossman M and Christmann K |
| Youth resilience to violent extremism: Development and validation of the BRAVE measure (2020) | Grossman M, Ungar M, Hadfield K, Jefferies P |
| Participatory drama and applied theatre processes as ways of addressing radicalised thinking – a pilot study (2019) | Upton M and Grossman M |
| Local service provision to counter violent extremism: perspectives, capabilities and challenges arising from an Australian service mapping project (2017) | Cherney A, Sweid R, Grossman M, Derbas A, Dunn K, Jones C, Hartley J, and Barton G |
| The association between discrimination and violence among Somali Canadian youth (2017) | Ungar M, Hadfield K, Amarasingam A, Morgan S and Grossman M |
| Interpreting text and image relations in violent extremist discourse: A mixed-methods approach for big data analytics (2016) | O’Halloran K, Pham D, Tan S, Bateman J, Grossman M and Vande Moer, A |
| Community perceptions of radicalisation and extremism: an Australian perspective (2015) | Grossman M and Tahiri H |
| Disenchantments: Counter-terror narratives and conviviality (2014) | Grossman M |
| ”More than a game”: The impact of sport-based youth mentoring schemes on developing resilience to violent extremism (2014) | Johns A, Grossman M and McDonald K |
Book Chapters
| The relationship between countering radicalisation and work with communities (2022)in Routledge Handbook on radicalisation and Countering Radicalisation, Busher J, Marsden S, Malkki L(eds) | Thomas P and M Grossman |
| Understanding the experiences of families of radicalised Muslim youth in Australia: Implications for social work practice (2022)in Radicalisation, Extremism and Social Work Practice amongst Muslim Youth in the West, Robinson L (ed.) | Gerrand V and M Grossman |
| Resilience to violent extremism and terrorism: A multi-systemic analysis (2021)in Multisystemic Resilience: Adaptation and Transformation in Changing Contexts, Ungar M (ed.) | Grossman M |
| Governing religious diversity in Australia (2021)in Routledge Handbook on the Governance of Religious Diversity, Triandafyllidou A and Magazzini T (eds.) | Grossman M, Gerrand V and Halafoff A |
| Cherchez la femme? The role of women in supporting and opposing violent extremism: Lessons from the Australian landscape (2021)in The New Age of Extremes? Western Democracies, Radicalisation and Violent Extremism (Le nouvel âge des extrèmes? Les démocraties occidentales, la radicalization et l’extrèmisme violent), Morin D and Aoun S (eds.) | Grossman M, Carland S, Zammit A and Tahiri H |
| The role of families and civil society in detecting radicalisation and promoting disengagement from violent extremism (2018)in Combatting Violent Extremism and Terrorism in Asia and Europe – From Cooperation to Collaboration, Gunaratna R & Rueppel P (eds.) | Grossman M |
| When the “right thing to do” feels so wrong: Australian Muslim perspectives on “intimates” reporting to authorities about violent extremism (2018) | Grossman M |
| Rethinking vulnerability in the context of diversity: cross-cultural reform in Australian policing education and training (2017)in Policing Encounters with Vulnerability, Asquith N, Bartkowiak-Theron I and Roberts K (eds.) | Grossman M |
Reports
| The evolution of resilience to violent extremism (2021) | Grossman M |
| Australia: Radicalisation and Resilience Case Study (2020) | Grossman M, Barolsky V and Gerrand V |
| Understanding the context of racial and cultural exclusivism: A study of Melbourne Neighbourhoods (2020) | Wickes R, Grossman M, Forbes-Mewett H, Arunachalam D, Smith J, Skrbis Z, Dellal H and Keel C |
| Reintegrating children, women and families returning to Australia from foreign conflict zones: The role of community support (2019) | Grossman M and Barolsky V |
| Roles of Women in Supporting and Opposing Violent Extremism: The Australian Landscape (2018) | Grossman M, Carland S, Tahiri H and Zammit A |
| Interviewing the Families of Young People Who Have Joined Violent Overseas or Domestic Conflict (2018) | Gerrand V and Grossman M |
| Measuring Impacts of Countering Violent Extremism Programs: Implications for Australia (2018) | Cameron K, Dellal H, Yoon A, Vergani M, Grossman M and Ramchand R |
| Understanding Youth Resilience to Violent Extremism: A Standardised Measure (2017) | Grossman M, Ungar M, Brisson J, Gerrand V, Hadfield K and Jefferies P |
| Community Reporting Thresholds: Sharing Information with Authorities Concerning Violent Extremist Activity and Involvement in Foreign Conflict – A UK Replication Study (2017) | Thomas P, Grossman M, Miah S and Chistmann K |
| Stocktake Research Report: A Systematic Literature and Selected Program Review on Social Cohesion, Community Resilience and Violent Extremism 2011-2015 (2016) | Grossman M, Peucker M, Smith D and Dellal H |
| Community Reporting Thresholds: Sharing Information with Authorities Concerning Violent Extremist Activity and Involvement in Foreign Conflict (2015) | Grossman M and Stephenson P |
| Harnessing Resilience Capital: an investigation of resilience and cultural diversity in countering violent extremism (2014) | Grossman M, Tahiri H and Stephenson P |
| Learning to Engage: A review of Victoria Police cross-cultural training practices (2013) | Grossman M, Bruck D, Stephenson P, Dwyer R and Roose J |
| Community and Radicalisation: an examination of perceptions, ideas, beliefs and solutions throughout Australia (2013) | Tahiri H and Grossman M |
| A Framework for Understanding the Relationship between Radicalisation, Religion and Violence (Concept Paper for Horizon 2020 GREASE Project) (2019) | Hellyer H and Grossman M |
Grants and Projects
| 2023-2026: ARC Discovery Project: Understanding the drivers and motivators of extremist violence (DP230101474)$864,680 | Shepherd S, Grossman M, Pathe M and Gill P |
| ‘Terrorist recidivism and risk in Australia’Australian Federal Police-Countering Violent Extremism Subcommittee, ANZCTC, 2021-2022 | $200,000 | Davis N, Grossman M, Whelan C and Bright D |
| 'Contact Zones: Understanding Terrorist Recruitment'Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies, 2021-2022 | $55,970 | Grossman M, Barolsky V, Khalil L, Peucker M, Duckworth M, Gerrand V, Dellal H, Thomas P and Christmann K, |
| 'Mapping Intervention Capacity in Preventing and Countering Right-Wing Extremism in Victoria'Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies, 2021-2022 | $52,685 | Grossman M, Barolsky V, Peucker M and Dellal H, |
| 'Trust Flows: The role of trust in developing community resilience'Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies, 2020-2022 | $133,000 | Duckworth M, Grossman M, Dellal H and Whelan C |
| ‘Strategic Evaluation of APS and AASW CVE Training’Queensland Police Service/CVESC, ANZCTC, 2019-2020 | $172,000 | Vergani M, Grossman M and Kuber S |
| ‘Collaborative Centre of Excellence for Resilient Communities and Inclusive Societies: A five-year research and program agenda’Department of Premier and Cabinet, Victorian State Government, 2019-2023 | $3,190,000 | Grossman M, Mansouri F, Dunn K, Harris A and Akbarzadeh S |
| ‘Community Reporting Thresholds: Sharing Information with Authorities Concerning Violent Extremist Activity and Involvement in Foreign Conflict: A USA Replication Study’National Institute of Justice, USA, 2019-2020 | USD $920,854 | Eisenman D, Weine S, Grossman M and Thomas P |
| ‘Community Reporting Thresholds: Sharing Information with Authorities Concerning Violent Extremist Activity and Involvement in Foreign Conflict: A Canadian Replication Study’Public Safety Canada, 2019-2020 | CAD $416,000 | Thompson S, Grossman M and Thomas P |
| ‘Radicalisation, Secularism and the Governance of Religion: Bringing Together European and Asia-Pacific Perspectives’ERC Horizon 2020 (Engaging Together Globally Stream), led by European University Institute (EUI), Florence, Italy, 2018-2021 | €2,224,375 (= AUD $3,399,557) | Triandafyllidou A, Modood T, Hellyer H, Grossman M, Gulalp H, Iahlou M, Mahajan G, Mancheva M, Boy P, Racius E, Aktas O, Martin T and Ibrahim Z |
| ‘Digital Literacy, Digital Citizenship and Violent Extremism: Piloting a Curriculum for Year 7 Students’Dept. of Premier and Cabinet, State of Victoria, 2018 | $166,890 | Beavis C, Grossman M, Pangrazio L, Keddie A and Cinque T |
| ‘The Role of Community Support in Reintegrating the Children and Families of Returned Foreign Fighters’Countering Violent Extremism Subcommittee (CVESC), Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee, 2017-18 | $159,000 | Grossman M and Barolsky V |
| ‘Understanding Contemporary Terrorism and Developing Policy Responses’Australia Award in Indonesia (Short-Term Award), 2017 | $78,000 | Vergani M, Barton G, Smith D and Grossman M |
| ‘Social Exclusivism in Melbourne: Understanding Patterns of Neighbourhood Intolerance’Research Institute on Social Cohesion (RIOSC) Large Research Grant, 2017-18 (led by Monash University) | $150,000 | Wickes R, Forbes-Mewett H, Smith J, Arunachalam D, Grossman M and Skrbis Z |
| ‘Research-based Evaluation of NSW Community Advice and Support Service’Attorney-General’s Department, 2017-2018 | $200,000 | Grossman M and Dellal H |
| ‘National Mapping of Support Services for the Directory of Intervention Support Services’Attorney-General’s Department, 2017 | $305,600 | Grossman M, Dellal H and Barolsky V |
| ‘Research Evaluation of AFL Bachar Houli Academy and Muslim Youth Employment Program’Spaaij R, Peucker M and Grossman M, 2016-17 | $30,000 | |
| ‘Community Reporting Thresholds: Sharing Information with Authorities Concerning Violent Extremist Activity and Involvement in Foreign Conflict: A Replication Study’CREST-ESRC UK, 2016-17, ESRC Award ES/N009614/1 | GBP £124,950 | Thomas P, Grossman M, Christmann K, Miah S, |
| ‘Youth Resilience to Violent Extremism: A Standardised Measure’CVE Centre, Attorney-General’s Department, 2016-17 | $159,325 | Grossman M, Ungar M, Brisson J, Hadfield K, Jefferies P, Gerrand V |
| ‘Interviewing families of young people who have travelled to participate in violent conflict’Research Institute on Social Cohesion, Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, 2016-17 | $100,000 | Grossman M, Gerrand V, Victorian Arabic Social Services (VASS) |
| ‘Mapping Social Service Providers for CVE Interventions with Young People: Victoria’Australian Intervention and Support Hub, Attorney-General’s Department, 2016 | $28,000 | Grossman M and Sweid R |
| ‘Stocktake Research Project: A Systematic Literature and Selected Program Review of Social Cohesion, Community Resilience and Violent Extremism 2011-2015’Community Resilience Unit, Dept. of Premier and Cabinet Victoria, 2016 | $49,000 | Grossman M, Peucker M, Smith D and Dellal H |
| ‘The Role of Women as Social Influencers in Online Violent Extremism’Countering Violent Extremism Sub-Committee, ANZCTC, 2015-16 | $115,000 | Grossman M, Carland S, Tahiri H, Zammit A |
| DSTO-VU Industry Partner Postdoctoral Research Program: ‘Understanding the relationship between online and offline social influence in radicalisation leading to violent extremism’Defence Science and Technology Organisation/Victoria University, 2015-2018 | $440,000 | Grossman M and Spaaij R |
| ‘Community reporting thresholds for suspected involvement in overseas conflict’Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee, 2014-2015 | $85,000 | Grossman M |
| ‘The Dury’s Out Educational Resource for teachers and students to promote critical dialogue on radicalisation and community cohesion’National Security and Policy Branch, Attorney General’s Department, 2014 | $30,000 | Grossman M and Upton M |
| ‘Victoria Police cross-cultural training practice and procedures: A research-based review’Victoria Police, 2013 | $25,000 | Grossman M, Bruck D, Stephenson P, Dwyer R and Roose J |
| ‘Research-based evaluation of The Dury’s Out: An Australian Muslim-AFP Youth Media Project to Counter Violent Extremism’Attorney-General’s Dept., 2013 | $50,000 | Grossman M and Stephenson P |
| ‘Harnessing resilience capital in culturally diverse communities in the context of countering violent extremism’Countering Violent Extremism Sub-Committee, Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee, 2012-2013 | $195,000 | Grossman M and Tahiri H |
| ‘Evaluation of More than a Game – An Australian “Building Community Resilience” Program’Western Bulldogs Football Club/CVESC/Attorney-General’s Department program grant, 2012 | $12,000 | McDonald K, Grossman M and Johns A |
| ‘Community and radicalisation: an examination of perceptions, ideas, beliefs and solutions throughout Australia’Countering Violent Extremism Subcommittee, ANZCTC, 2011-12 | $233,922 | Grossman M and Tahiri H |