Loene Howes

Dr. Loene Howes is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Tasmania's School of Social Sciences, part of the College of Arts, Law and Education. She also serves as a senior researcher at the Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies. Her roles include Criminology Major Coordinator (2025–present) and Associate Head of School for Learning and Teaching (2021–2024).

With a PhD and prior experience in language education and remote Aboriginal community schools, Dr. Howes focuses on policing and forensic studies, emphasizing interagency communication, gender equity in Pacific policing, and forensic science capacity development. She has led curriculum reforms in criminology education, including indigenisation initiatives and critical forensic studies modules.

Her research spans disaster victim identification (DVI), DNA legislation impacts, and gender-responsive policing in Timor-Leste. Recent work highlights challenges in forensic communication and Pacific policing capacity. She actively contributes to professional organizations like the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS) and the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology (ANZSOC).

Teaching responsibilities include units like Crime and Deviance, Forensic Science in Society, and Transnational Crime. Current doctoral supervision focuses on facial recognition ethics, DVI preparedness, and forensic science in counterterrorism.

Dr. Howes has advised on over 20 research projects, including evaluations of interpreter-assisted policing and forensic report readability. Her international collaborations emphasize Pacific regional security and gender equity in law enforcement.