David Bright

David Bright is Professor of Criminology at Deakin University's School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation. He directs the Deakin Covert Networks Lab, specializing in social network analysis applications for studying organized crime and terrorism. His research examines criminal networks, illicit firearms markets, drug trafficking, and desistance from crime.

His primary research focuses on applying network science to understand and disrupt organized criminal groups, with current ARC-funded projects analyzing outlaw motorcycle gangs and cybercrime networks. Recent work investigates illicit firearms markets globally and ransomware group organizational structures.

Bright has secured substantial research funding including six consecutive ARC grants. His methodological innovations in social network analysis have advanced the study of co-offending patterns and criminal hypernetworks. Recent publications demonstrate cross-disciplinary applications of network science in criminology and security studies.

He has received multiple awards including the Vice-Chancellor's Innovation in Teaching Award (2019) and Maconochie Award for best doctoral thesis (2007). Current doctoral students under his supervision investigate topics ranging from OMCG activities to Aboriginal imprisonment reduction strategies.