Our people

Professor Jan Breckenridge is the Head of School of Social Sciences and Co-Convenor of the Gendered Violence Research Network at UNSW Sydney and has knowledge and reputation in this field that is well established and has been developed through extensive original research in the specific areas of gendered violence. She also leads a knowledge translation stream of research, Gendered Violence and Organisations, which provides a suite of expert services including advice, training and e-learning resources to government, private and third sector organisations on best practice policies and organisational response to DFV, sexual assault and sexual harassment. She has always oriented her research towards maximum impact in innovative social policy development, best practice service provision and outcome measurement of effectiveness. Jan has undertaken substantial research on the effects of and responses to DFSV on organisations in different contexts across Australia and the Asia Pacific. Jan has a Bachelor of Social Studies (Hons) Sydney University and a PhD UNSW.

Dr Andy Kaladelfos is Senior Lecturer in Criminology in School of Law, Society and Criminology and co-convenor of Gender Violence Research Network (GVRN) at UNSW. Andy is the first trans person appointed as UNSW Equity, Diversity and Inclusion champion role, the 'Gender Equity' co-champion. Andy's research specialities are sexual and gender-based violence, queer criminology, and homophobic and transphobic violence. Originally trained in history, Andy's research is interdisciplinary, using methods and approaches from historical studies, legal studies, criminology, psychology, feminist studies and digital humanities to analyse how experiences of and responses to violence change over time, to examine the nature of the criminal justice system, and the shifting relationship between law and society. Andy's research combines quantitative and qualitative methods to explain longitudinal trends in changing legal, political, and social contexts. Andy is a proud transmasculine, non-binary and queer person, with twenty years of advocacy experience including UNSW’s LGBTIQ Working Group, the Ally Network, the Australian Hate Crime Network, and numerous LGBTIQ community organisations.

Mailin Suchting is the Manager of the Gendered Violence Research Network (GVRN), UNSW Sydney. Mailin manages both the research and knowledge translation streams on behalf of the GVRN. She has over three decades experience in management, research, education, and frontline roles shaping policy and responses to sexual assault and DFV for individuals, families and communities. Her specific interests include health impacts of gendered violence, professional intersections, prevention, response, intersectionality, and diversity.

Mailin has been actively engaged in the Next Chapter partnership with the Commonwealth Bank to support and advance research into economic and financial abuse, building an evidence base for best practice responses by financial institutions and opportunities for knowledge exchange between community partners.

Tim is a Senior Research Associate providing training, research, and policy analysis skills for the Gendered Violence & Research Network at UNSW Sydney. He is a registered psychologist who has worked in both government and non-government organisations as a direct care worker supporting people with disabilities and mental illnesses, an educator and counsellor specialising in sexuality and disability issues, a Professional Member of the Guardianship Tribunal NSW, and for almost 20 years, as a psychologist supporting people with HIV. He was an accredited counsellor with the Victims Compensation Tribunal providing psychological intervention and support to people who experienced sexual and physical assaults. His psychotherapeutic work in HIV led him to pursue academic research in this area, which in turn led him to cancer research with emphases on the experiences of informal cancer carers, the impact of cancer on sexuality and relationships, fertility, and quality of life issues. Since completing his PhD, he has worked in the Schools of Psychology and Medicine at the University of Western Sydney, as Manager of Advocacy and Resources at Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, and the Schools of Medicine and Social Sciences at UNSW before joining the Gendered Violence Research Network.

Marion provides legal, training and policy analysis skills for the Gendered Violence Research Network’s Gendered Violence & Organisations stream. She practised as a lawyer for over 25 years and has worked in private practice and as the principal solicitor of a Community Legal Centre, primarily in the field of family law and violence against women and children. Marion was the Executive Officer of the NSW Violence Against Women and Children Law Reform Taskforce 1987 and has also been a part-time hearing commissioner for the Human Rights Commission of Australia. From 1995 to 2007, she was the Deputy President and a presiding member of the NSW Guardianship Tribunal which involved hearing many applications relating to adults with decision-making disabilities. Marion has an Arts/Law degree from Macquarie University, an MA (Women’s Studies) UNSW and a Certificate IV Training and Assessment. Marion tutored at UNSW Law for eight years and continues to work as a consultant and trainer for the NSW Health Education Centre Against Violence in addition to her work with the Gendered Violence & Organisations stream.

Sara Singh is a Research Officer with the Gendered Violence Research Network (GVRN). She is a key researcher on a number of evaluations and rapid evidence reviews conducted by GVRN and is highly skilled in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Sara is particularly interested in research aimed at informing policy development and best practice responses to individuals and communities impacted by gendered violence, and has undertaken research in areas such as domestic and family violence, and economic and financial abuse. She holds a Bachelor of Laws, and a Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Hons) from UNSW. In 2020, she was awarded a UNSW Scientia PhD Scholarship. Her PhD is focused on the issue of dowry abuse.

Georgia Lyons works as a Research Assistant at the Gendered Violence Research Network. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work (Hons 1) and Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice from UNSW. She has worked on a range of projects aimed at improving policy and outcomes for individuals and communities affected by gender-based violence, exploring issues such as economic and financial abuse in Australia, best practice responses to domestic and family violence within the insurance industry, the intersections between mental health and sexual assault and abuse, and sexual harassment within the legal profession. She is also currently working on a range of program evaluations, including an evaluation of a gender-based violence primary prevention program delivered in early childhood settings and an evaluation of innovative domestic and family violence programs delivered across NSW. She has skills in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.

Natasha Dubler is a Research Assistant with UNSW’s Gendered Violence Research Network specialising in qualitative in-depth methodologies, participatory research methods and policy analysis. She has a BA in Gender and Sexuality studies (ANU, Hons I) and a BA (UTS). She is currently enrolled as a PhD candidate at UNSW Art & Design researching participatory sound and installation art with Prof. Anna Munster and Dr. Adam Hulbert.

Angela Griffin is a Research Assistant at the GVRN and was previously the UNSW SRC Women’s Officer (2018) and SRC President (2019). She also served on the Executive of the Sydney Reclaim the Night Rally (2017). In 2021 she completed her Bachelor of Social Research & Policy (Honours First Class) through which she drew on her own experiences as a student activist by conducting a thesis exploring student activist experiences of their universities implementation of the recommendations included in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s 2017 ‘Change the Course’ report. In 2024, she begins a PhD exploring non-punitive approaches to survivor justice in university settings.

Vincent Breckenridge is a student and research assistant currently studying a Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts. Vincent has experience in qualitative and quantitative research and has worked with vulnerable communities including LGBTQIA+ and student communities.