Key People
Professor David Tait - Leader, Justice Research
» Full Academic Profile
» Contact Details
David Tait is the leader of the Justice Research Group. He is a scholar in criminology and sociology with a background in social statistics, guardianship and mental health, sentencing, jury research and urban sociology. Prior to taking up the position at UWS, David was Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at the Law School of the University of Canberra from January 2005 until May 2009.
Dr Meredith Rossner - Research Fellow
» Full Academic Profile
» Contact Details
Meredith Rossner joined the Justice Research Group on the Bankstown campus as a Research Fellow in October 2009. Dr Rossner received her PhD in Sociology and Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania. She has conducted original research on the emotional dynamics and crime reduction potential of face-to-face restorative justice meetings with offenders and victims of serious crime. More broadly, she is interested in how people think about, talk about, and create 'justice' in our society.
Dr Elizabeth Roberts-Pedersen - Research Lecturer
Elizabeth Roberts received her PhD from the University of Sydney in 2007 for a study into the experience of British volunteers in the Greek War of Independence, the Spanish Civil War and the Russo-Finnish War.
She is interested in the social and cultural histories of warfare, and in particular the interaction of gender and violence. She is currently researchng the history of desertion, cowardice and other 'unmanly' behaviour in World War II.
Research Associates / Officers / Assistants
Dr Emma Rowden - Research Associate
Emma is a graduate architect who started working with the Justice Research Group in 2008 as an Australian Postgraduate Award (Industry) recipient on one of our Australian Research Council projects Gateways to Justice: improving video-mediated communications between justice participants. Since receiving her PhD from the University of Melbourne in 2011 for her thesis entitled: "Remote participation and the distributed court: an approach to court architecture in the age of video-mediated communication", she has been working on the ARC "Court Safety" project. With a background in media, performance and architecture, Emma is particularly interested in the role of the built environment in shaping experiences of inclusion, safety, comfort, fairness and respect in public institutions.
Emma is currently the Chancellor's Postgraduate Research Fellow at Design, Architecture and Building, UTS.
Dr Alikki Vernon - Research Associate
Alikki is a conflict resolution scholar based in Melbourne. She leads the team of researchers working on the ARC Linkage Project, Fortress or Sanctuary? Enhancing court safety by managing people, places and processes.
Dr Camellia Webb-Gannon - Research Officer
Camellia is a peace and conflict analyst working with Professor Tait on revising articles for publication.
Dr Lesley Wright - Research Officer
Lesley is a philosphy graduate with a PhD in Gender and Women's Studies. Lesley works with Dr Rossner on the ARC Discovery Project, Confidence in Justice: democratic participation or deference to authority?
Mythily Meher - Research Officer
Mythily is an anthropologist working with Dr Rossner on the Forum Sentencing Project funded by the NSW Department of Attorney General and Justice.
Laura McDonald - Research Assistant
Laura holds a Bachelor of Socio-Legal Studies from the University of Sydney and is completing her Honours thesis in Criminology. Laura works with Dr Rossner on the ARC Discovery Project, Confidence in Justice: democratic participation or deference to authority?
Tess Simson - Research Assistant
Tess is a Master of Sociology and Social Anthropology graduate. She is based in Melbourne and is working with Dr Vernon on the ARC Linkage Project, Fortress or Sanctuary? Enhancing court safety by managing people, places and processes.
Professional Staff
Judith Camac - Research Program Coordinator
Judy has a Master of Letters in Arts / History from the Australian National University. She joined the Justice Research Group in 2010 after working as the Executive Officer in the Executive Dean's Unit of the College of Arts. Prior to joining UWS Judy worked both in gallery development and education programs at the Australian War Memorial. Judy is responsible for budgets, business planning, overseeing project staffing and liaison within the University.
