Research Bites is your research news digest which aims to capture the diverse research happening in our faculty, collated from various media outlets. In this edition…
Last week, Dr Leo Lin had the incredible honour of presenting at the 3rd International Symposium on Volunteering and Complementary Policing (ISVCP 2026) in Budapest, Hungary. Organised by Global Foundation for Community Safety Volunteering at the Ludovika University of Public Service, the event was a phenomenal gathering. It brought together 198 participants from 23 countries, featuring 73 presentations, 4 plenary sessions, and 15 workshops over two action-packed days.
His presentation stressed how artificial intelligence, emerging technology, and a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape are actively reshaping volunteer policing. Despite our differences in geography, culture, and policing structures, volunteerism remains one of the most powerful ways to build trust and connection between communities and public safety agencies. A key question remainsโhow do we empower the community to be actively involved in the delivery of public safety?
The First Nations Legal Professional Standards Working Party, led by Associate Professor Marcelle Burns, recently made submissions to the Legal Services Council and Law Admissions Consultative Committee Review of Practical Legal Training and the Inquiry into Racism, Hate and Violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people highlighting the importance of cultural competence in legal education and professional standards. Assoc Prof Emma Colvin | CLJ is super proud to be a member of this working party. Read more about it here.
Professor Ashad Kabir is excited to share his co-authored paper, โ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐: ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ-๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ดโ โ an important contribution emerging from the PhD research of Dr. Mahir Habib, whom he had the pleasure of supervising. This work was conducted as part of a Food Agility CRC-funded project and supported by the Gulbali Institute.
In this work, the researchers introduce the Livestock Event Information Sharing Architecture (LEISA) โ a novel microservice-based architecture designed to enable efficient livestock event information sharing among key stakeholders, including farmers and service providers.
Dr. Tariq Aziz | Lecturer in Engineering would like to share their latest research which is now published in Sustainable Materials and Technologies (IF:9.2). “Optimising LC3 Composites with Alternative Calcined Clays: Hydration, Strength, and COโ Reduction“
Congratulations to Dr Charles Vandepeer | Senior Lecturer in the AGSPS | on his recent book release, Generalship in the Ancient World: Timeless Insights on Command from the Greeks and Romans
Exploring the ancient historical record of generals, armies and battles, this book provides insights into the decision-making of generals from the ancient world, this book presents a practical ‘How to’ guide, drawing widely across Greek and Roman accounts of warfare and providing a series of robust answers with enduring relevance to modern conflict and military command.
Dr Felicity Small, Dr Lucia Wuersch, and Associate Professor Alain Neher, from the School of Business, would like to share the publication of their book chapter as part of the pollinator garden project.
Creating a Community Pollinator Garden: Values and Emotion Work in a Grassroots Initiative. In: Espedal, G., Ruebottom, T., Struminska-Kutra, M., Bento da Silva, J., Creed, D. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Emotions and Values in Organizational Institutionalism is now available.
This qualitative study applies the social-symbolic work framework to explore values and emotion work within a community pollinator garden project at a regional university in Australia. The focus is on how self-work, organisation work, and institutional work are woven into this grassroots initiative, which promotes environmental sustainability and strengthens local community ties.
You can also listen to Felicity, Lucia and Alain talking about the project on the Ergo Cogito podcast.
Dr Geberew Tulu Mekonnen | Senior Lecturer in Criminology | and Dr Leo Lin | Senior Lecturer in Security Studies | are proud to present their latest research, “Australiaโs Social Media Age Restriction: A Comparative Analysis of International Approaches and Bioecological Systems Impacts“, has just been published in the journal World.
Key findings from the analysis include:
Contextual evidence: Empirical findings on age-threshold policies remain inconclusive. While unregulated use is linked to psychological vulnerabilities, structured engagement can actually support identity exploration and social connection, particularly for marginalised youth.
Global divergence: Other jurisdictions currently favour alternative models, focusing heavily on strict platform duty-of-care obligations, mandatory parental consent, and integrated screen-time controls.
Sustainable harm reduction: Effective long-term strategies require a balanced ecosystem, combining parental involvement, rigorous platform accountability, and targeted digital literacy education.
Dr Leo Lin recently spoke with Bloomberg and was quoted for their investigation into Chen Zhi’s Prince Holding Group scam networks and transnational organised crime โ a story that represents one of the most significant security challenges of our time.
This case involves industrial scam compounds, automated “phone farms” and “pig-butchering” scams targeting victims globally, human trafficking, cryptocurrency laundering, online gambling, and shell companies and business entities spanning more than 30 countries, including major jurisdictions in East and Southeast Asia (Cambodia, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines), Southern Europe (Cyprus), the Middle East (UAE), and the Caribbean (St. Kitts and Nevis). It is an empire that weaponised digital platforms, forced labour, and political protection on an unprecedented, multibillion-dollar scale.
It’s thorough, important journalism. Read the full article here (paywall): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-03-10/how-cambodia-s-alleged-scam-kingpin-chen-zhi-made-billions-built-global-empire
Dr Tariq Aziz | Lecturer in Engineering is thrilled to share that his latest review paper with engineering colleagues has just been published in the Journal of Construction and Building Materials.
This work takes a deep dive into how surface treatment techniques can unlock the potential of crumb rubber as a viable aggregate in concrete, making construction more circular and sustainable. This research sits at the intersection of waste valorisation, green construction, and materials engineering โ and offers a useful resource for researchers, engineers, and industry practitioners working toward more sustainable built environments.
If you’re working at the intersection of sustainable construction, waste valorisation, or circular economy โ this one’s for you. You can access the article here: Surface treatments of waste tyres for sustainable concrete production: A performance, environmental and cost-based review.
