ADI Welcomes Two Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellows
ADI Welcomes Two Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Ciara Barker
The Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation (ADI) is proud to welcome one new and one returning member to Deakin University as Postdoctoral Research Fellows.
The Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (DUPRF), previously known as Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowships, aim to support and develop early career researchers identified as potential rising stars. These fellowships enhance capacity and capability in key research areas, building the next generation of high-achieving and internationally competitive researchers.
This prestigious three-year fellowship is highly competitive and provides a pathway to the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) in the future.
Dr Leanne Kelly - Reimagining evaluation in community programs for preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE).
Dr Kelly’s project focuses on evaluating community programs designed to prevent and counter violent and hateful extremism. It aims to develop an evidence-based, context-sensitive evaluation framework to help civil society organisations improve the effectiveness and relevance of their peacebuilding and development initiatives.
Despite billions invested annually in programs for preventing violent extremism globally, there is still a lack of understanding about what truly works. Many evaluations are poorly designed, lack sufficient data and fail to consider context, marginalisation, or long-term outcomes. This project addresses these gaps by examining community-level interventions for preventing violent extremism, exploring how and whether they work, for whom, in what contexts and why.
The project aims to produce a robust framework, including a theory of change and evaluation guidance, to help civil society organisations design, implement and measure community-level programs for preventing violent extremism more effectively. It seeks to build understanding, improve practice and support long-term community resilience, while strengthening partnerships across research, policy and practice.
“I’m most excited about working directly with frontline organisations and global experts to co-design a framework that advances theory and makes a tangible difference in how we approach community-based efforts to prevent violent and hateful extremism. Building on my career as an evaluator, this is about making evaluation more useful, inclusive and impactful.”
Dr Lilian Pearce - Toxic legacies, Restorative futures
Dr Pearce’s project investigates how land-use histories and contemporary environmental governance regimes place the burden of toxicity and risk on the public and the State, often while excluding First Peoples from their sovereign lands.
The project advances two overlapping research streams. Stream 1: Environmental histories of contaminated sites identifies the systems and silences that produce toxicity, to expand the understanding and response to contamination and inequity. Stream 2: On-Country management with First Nations partners explores growing opportunities for healthy, self-determined futures particularly on high-value conservation lands.
Collectively, the work aims to address four key challenges: understanding contemporary struggles with toxic legacies through a historical context, contributing to restorative natural resource management (NRM) policy, supporting First Nations’ autonomy on Country and identifying paths to socially and environmentally just renewable transitions.
The project will deliver policy-relevant material developed in partnership with Traditional Owner Corporations, environmental NGOs, industry, and government. High-impact academic publications, including Dr Pearce’s first book in 2026 through Upswell Publishing, will expand awareness of toxic legacies and possibilities for restorative futures.
“I’m excited to build on my established interdisciplinary environmental humanities scholarship to contribute meaningful, policy-relevant, and applied research. I hope to demonstrate the power of archives, place-based collaborations, and storytelling in the pursuit of social and environmental justice.”
These projects underscore Deakin University’s commitment to innovative research that drives positive change and addresses some of the most pressing challenges of our time. We look forward to the profound impact these fellows will have on their respective fields and beyond.