Centre for the Study of Violence
Why study a PhD or Research Masters in Violence at Newcastle?
Prospective PhD and Research Masters students are welcome to approach any Centre member to discuss potential projects. Anyone undertaking a violence-related topic at the University of Newcastle will have the benefit of joining a critical mass of established international researchers in this field. Post graduate students are welcome to join the life of the Centre by attending our events, including those designed especially for scholars in training.
Research methodologies
CSOV members apply critical approaches to research from a number of theoretical perspectives in disciplines including Criminology, Law, Sociology, History, Creative Writing, Literature and Social Work.
Methodologies range from archival work to practice-based research with survivors.
Find a supervisor
To find a supervisor, visit our People page and follow the links to review members’ research interests and recent publications. If you would like to be matched with a potential supervisor, please contact the Director, Nancy Cushing.
Please note: While some competitive scholarships are available for Domestic students, at present International students must be self-funded. Read more about our research scholarships for more information.
Success stories from our previous students
Bryce Abraham
Won the CEW Bean Prize in 2020 for his PhD and is now working at the Australian War Memorial.
Jordan Beavis
Post PhD, Jordan took up a position as a researcher on the Official History of Afghanistan and Iraq project at the Australian War Memorial. He is currently an Academic Research Officer at Australian Army Research Centre.
Nik Orr
Dr Nikolas Orr was awarded his PhD in 2024 having engaged in several additional research projects and developing an impressive record of publication while completing his thesis.
Our Graduate Student and Early Career Researcher Members
Jean-Luc Arrigo
The working title of Jean-Luc’s thesis, supervised by Prof. Lynne McCormack and Dr Sally Fitzpatrick, is “Men in Harmful Relationships”. It explores the types of violence with which men are involved in their close relationships. He aims to capture the lived experiences of men in their own voice, via semi-structured interviews.JeanLuc.Arrigo@uon.edu.au
Markos Carelos (PhD)
“Greek Political thought and the Treaty of Lausanne. 1914-1923.”
Kelsey Fitz-Gerald
Kelsey’s PhD is “Child Safeguarding in Christian Churches: Exploring child safeguarding understandings and practices of Evangelical Christians after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse”. Under the supervision of Drs Kathleen McPhillips and Chris Krogh, she is exploring who interprets child safeguarding within Christian Evangelical institutions by considering the relevant dynamics of power, discourse, and relationships.
Heidi Freihaut
Women, memory and genocide: practices of remembrance, 1945-present.
Sarah Kabanoff (PhD)
Creative Survival: What We Can Learn from Women Who Have Lived with Violence and How We Can Better Listen.
Paul Loudon
Paul’s area of research is the criminal justice system's response to domestic violence and abuse, and his PhD thesis title is: "When is Control ‘Coercive’? — A Comparative Analysis of Law and Practice in NSW and Ireland". The project focuses primarily on the roles of criminal justice system professionals (e.g. police, lawyers, court staff) and support agencies in shaping the collection and use of evidence in subsequent criminal proceedings. His supervisors are Dr Joseph Wenta, Professor John Anderson and Dr Ray Nickson.
Ashleigh McIntyre (PhD)
What are You Afraid of? Pretraumatic American Literature in the Anthropocene.
Louise Rak
Narratives of Young Female Violence.
Caroline Schneider (PhD)
State Conducted Forcible Child Transfer: A Study of a Global Phenomenon from 1800 to the Present.
Diana Sillato
From Gallipoli to Malta: A Medical, Social and Cultural History of the Anzacs.
Truman Smith
"Unprovoked Barbarity” : Kidnapping on Queensland’s Frontier, 1859 – 1897.
Muhammad Thalal (PhD)
Memory and Violence in Aceh during the Armed Conflict 1976 - 2005.
Rebecca Willis
Rebecca’s thesis title is The Human Element of Magic: Body Magic in Context. Her work sits at the intersection of Magic Studies and Body Studies. She examines the practices of magicians in antiquity with regard to methodologies and materials, particularly in relation to the use of the human body, in comparison with their reputation in contemporary fiction for regularly engaging in taboo acts of violence such as cannibalism and infanticide.
Robert Wyse
Suspicious Minds: Korean War Ex-POWs, Commonwealth Intelligence Services, and the Cold War.
Contact us
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.