About
Ruth Liston serves as a Lecturer in Criminology at Victoria University's VU Law School and as a researcher within the Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities (ISILC). With over two decades of experience, she leads Australia's first Graduate Certificate in Crime Prevention, co-developed with Victoria's Department of Justice and Community Safety.
Dr. Liston holds a BA Hons from University of Dublin, Trinity College, and graduate criminology qualifications from the University of Melbourne. Her educational background underpins her dual expertise in theoretical criminology and practical policy implementation.
Her research centers on crime prevention with specialized focus on violence against women prevention and community safety initiatives. Current projects examine primary prevention in sporting contexts (for Our Watch), Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, and gender equality in trades training. She actively investigates sport integrity systems and human-centered design applications in community safety.
Recent publications demonstrate consistent output in violence prevention research, particularly analyzing organizational understanding of primary prevention in sport and feminist criminology approaches to policy development. Her work bridges academic theory with practical implementation across journal articles, book chapters, and policy-focused reviews.
- Two university teaching awards
Dr. Liston currently co-supervises two Master of Research candidates and four Honours students while leading multiple externally funded projects. Her $311,387 Empowering Communities Evaluation (2022-2025) serves as her flagship grant, complemented by previous funding exceeding $500,000 for gender equality initiatives and sport-based prevention programs.
As a core member of ISILC, Dr. Liston contributes to Victoria University's research ecosystem through cross-institute collaboration and government partnership development, particularly with the Department of Justice and Community Safety's Community Crime Prevention division.
