Melissa Bull

Melissa Bull is a Professor affiliated with Queensland University of Technology (QUT), specializing in criminal justice policy, policing strategies, and gender-based violence. Her work spans interdisciplinary research in drug policy, immigration detention, and human rights within criminal justice systems. She leads the QUT Centre for Justice’s initiatives, including the Women’s Butterfly Project addressing housing stress among mature women. Key collaborations include Pacific Island policing reforms and analyzing disaster resilience frameworks. Her research emphasizes intersectional approaches to justice system reform, with a focus on marginalized communities. Recent outputs include studies on sentencing disparities, digital policing legitimacy, and gender violence prevention in Vanuatu.

Research Interests: Criminal Justice Policy, Policing Technology, Gender Violence Prevention, Drug Diversion Programs, Human Rights in Detention, and Policy Transfer. Her work links theoretical frameworks with practical interventions, such as the Women’s Butterfly toolkit for early responders.

Grants & Projects: Led the Department of Housing-funded Women’s Butterfly Project (2023), contributed to disaster resilience analyses for Senate Select Committees (2023), and authored Palgrave’s Critical Policing Studies series on Pacific Islands policing (2023). Collaborates internationally with organizations addressing LGBTQ+ rights and Muslim community integration.

Labs/Teams: QUT Centre for Justice, QUT School of Justice teams, and global partnerships with Brazilian and Argentine women’s police station initiatives. Her work often involves multidisciplinary teams across law, criminology, and social policy.