Kristyn Harman

Kristyn Harman is a Professor in History at the University of Tasmania, specializing in cross-cultural encounters within Britain’s 19th-century colonies. She serves as the Chair of the Academic Senate and is an ex-officio member of the University Council.

• PhD in History (University of Tasmania, 2008)
• Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours, University of Tasmania, 2004)
• Graduate Certificate in University Learning and Teaching (University of Tasmania, 2009)

Her research focuses on transportation to British penal colonies, Indigenous incarceration, and colonial domesticity. Recent work examines free individuals (627 men, women, and children) who became convicts in Van Diemen’s Land, challenging historical narratives.

She has received multiple teaching awards, including the Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Excellence Award (2019) and CALE Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2021). Harman also supervises doctoral and honors students in history and cultural heritage.

Harman chairs the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) Tasmanian working party and contributes to convict history via the Cascade Female Factory Historic Site Community Advisory Committee. Her 2017 book Cleansing the Colony was long-listed for the Ockham New Zealand book awards.