Structure and Governance
The AVERT Research Network was established in 2018 by Professor Michele Grossman and colleagues at Deakin University. Professor Grossman co-convened the Network with Lydia Khalil from 2022 to 2024. From 2024, Lydia Khalil served as sole Convenor and was joined by co-Convenor Associate Professor Julian Droogan in August 2024. AVERT membership, including representation on its Executive and Steering Committees, is multi-institutional.
The Network is administratively supported by Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation (ADI) at Deakin University. Since 2020, the Network receives annual funding under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs to support specified program activities, to provide advisory expertise and build research capacity. Occasional additional funding is sought and received for specific programmatic and research activities and is transparently acknowledged.
AVERT’s work is guided by an Executive Committee and a Steering Committee. The AVERT Steering Committee provides high level advice to the AVERT Convenor and Executive on the strategic goals and operations of the AVERT Research Network. The AVERT Executive manages the day-to-day design and implementation of AVERT activities, as well as contributing to strategic planning and development. The Terms of Reference for the AVERT Steering Committee and Executive Committee can be accessed here.
Executive Commitee
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Lydia Khalil
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
LOWY INSTITUTESenior Research Fellow and Co-Convenor, AVERT Research Network
Research Area Keywords: Violent extremism; Online; Technology; Emergency management and countering violent extremism; Crisis and natural disasters; Radicalisation; Authoritarianism; Intelligence; Counterterrorism; Policy; Jihadism; Middle East; Right wing extremism; Conspiracy & Disinformation
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Julian Droogan
MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY
Associate Professor and Head of Department, Department of Security Studies and Criminology, AVERT Research Network Co-Convenor
Research Area Keywords: Terrorism; Violent extremism; Countering violent extremism; Jihadism; Internet; Social media; Right-wing extremism; Left-wing extremism; Religion; South Asia.
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Greg Barton
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Professor of Global Islamic Politics
Research Area Keywords: Radicalisation, recruitment and disengagement; Countering violent extremism; Salafi jihadi terrorism; Indonesia; Southeast Asia; Islamic thought; Islam and civil society; Democracy and reform in the Muslim world.
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Emily Corner
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Associate Professor
Research Area Keywords: Terrorism; Radicalisation; Mental Health; Risk Assessment; Grievance.
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Jared Dmello
UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
Senior Lecturer
Research Area Keywords: Terrorism; Radicalisation; Climate Change; LGBTQ+.
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Mark Duckworth
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Senior Research Fellow
Research Area Keywords: Community resilience; Preventing violent extremism; Disaster risk reduction; Intergovernmental relations; Public sector governance; Counter-terrorism policy; Emergency management; Multicultural affairs.
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Vivian Gerrard
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Research Area Keywords: Alternative narratives; Image-making; Militant wellness; Polarisation; Radicalisation; Recruitment; Resilience.
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Michele Grossman AM
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Professor and Research Chair in Diversity and Community Resilience
Research Area Keywords: Resilience to violent extremism; Preventing and countering violent extremism; Women and terrorism; Terrorist recruitment; Cultural semiotics of terrorism.
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Imogen Richards
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Lecturer
Research Area Keywords: Social media; News media; Political violence; Political economy; Counterterrorism.
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Matteo Vergani
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Associate Professor
Research Area Keywords: Hate crime; Hate speech; Extremism; Political violence; Terrorism; P/CVE; Evaluation.
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Helen Young
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Senior Lecturer
Research Area Keywords: Far-right extremist culture and fiction; white supremacy and racism; video games; medievalism; popular culture; conspiracy theories.
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Steering Commitee
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Lydia Khalil
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
LOWY INSTITUTESenior Research Fellow and Co-Convenor, AVERT Research Network
Research Area Keywords: Violent extremism; Online; Technology; Emergency management and countering violent extremism; Crisis and natural disasters; Radicalisation; Authoritarianism; Intelligence; Counterterrorism; Policy; Jihadism; Middle East; Right wing extremism; Conspiracy & Disinformation
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Julian Droogan
MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY
ssociate Professor and Head of Department, Department of Security Studies and Criminology, AVERT Research Network Co-Convenor
Research Area Keywords: Terrorism; Violent extremism; Countering violent extremism; Jihadism; Internet; Social media; Right-wing extremism; Left-wing extremism; Religion; South Asia.
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Michele Grossman AM
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Professor and Research Chair in Diversity and Community Resilience
Research Area Keywords: Resilience to violent extremism; Preventing and countering violent extremism; Women and terrorism; Terrorist recruitment; Cultural semiotics of terrorism.
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Kristina Murphy
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY
Professor of Criminology
Research Area Keywords: Policing and Procedural Justice; Counter-terrorism; Conspiracy Theories; Anti-government Sentiment; Extremism.
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Mario Puecker
VICTORIA UNIVERSITY
Associate Professor
Research Area Keywords: Dissent; Right-wing extremism; Citizenship; Mobilisation; Radicalism.
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Joshua Roose
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Associate Professor
Research Area Keywords: Masculinities; Political Violence; Religious Violence; Extremism; Populism; Far-Right; Salafi Jihadism; Male Supremacism; Incels; Mens Rights Activism; Protest; Policy.
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Paul Thomas
UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD, UK
Professor of Youth and Policy
Research Area Keywords: Preventing Violent Extremism; Youth Racial Tensions; Education; Anti-racism; Enactment of Policy.