Larissa Christensen

Dr Larissa (Lara) Christensen is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Justice at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), located at the Sunshine Coast Campus. She holds a PhD in Psychology (Forensic Psychology) and leads the University's Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit (SVRPU). Her academic roles include teaching, program coordination, and editorial board memberships for journals like the Journal of Sexual Aggression.

Education: PhD in Psychology (Forensic Psychology). Prior roles include Lecturer at Griffith University (Gold Coast) and Program Coordinator for the Bachelor of Criminology and Justice at UniSC (2019–2021), where she integrated forensic science, intelligence, and cybercrime components.

Research focuses on sexual violence prevention, female-perpetrated child sexual offending, and technology-facilitated abuse. Key areas include media portrayals of offenders, judicial sentencing patterns, and policy evaluation. Her work appears in high-impact journals like Sexual Abuse and Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

Awards: Multiple teaching accolades including the 2020 Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology Excellence Award (national), 2019 UniSC Vice-Chancellor's Award, and 2017 Griffith University Teaching Excellence Award.

Teaching and supervision: Known for high student satisfaction, supervising Honours and PhD students in Criminology/Psychology. Courses include 'Introduction to Criminology' and 'Homicide Studies'.

Service roles: Treasurer of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology (2018–2020), Committee Member of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, and ARC Peer Reviewer.

Current projects involve collaboration with Queensland Corrective Services and innovative research on cybercrime prevention. Active in public commentary on child exploitation and gendered offending dynamics.