HDR Scholarship - Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

Location

Melbourne Burwood Campus or Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus

Research topic

The project is titled 'Analysing and disrupting outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia: A mixed-methods network study' and has been funded by the Australian Research Council under the Discovery Project scheme.

Crimes committed by Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMCGs) cause significant social and economic harm for Australian and international communities. However, little is currently known about co-offending by members of OMCGs. This project will shed light on co-offending within and between OMCG clubs, document changes over time, and develop more effective policies and practices to disrupt OMCG crime. The project will contribute to making Australia safer from the harms of criminal activities undertaken by OMCGs and position Australia as a global leader in the field of criminal networks and methodologies to prevent and disrupt related crime.

The project is a mixed-methods design integrating quantitative and qualitative analyses and will proceed in five phases:

Collection of crime data and subsequent coding and cleaning;
Cross sectional social network analyses;
Interviews with ex-OMCG members and key informants from law enforcement agencies;
Dynamic social network modelling and disruption strategies, and
Focus groups and workshop.

Project aim

One PhD project is associated with the project and will undertake a project examining law enforcement policy and practice directed at OMCGs across countries with different policy settings (e.g. Australia and the Netherlands) to reveal the most effective approaches to preventing harms associated with OMCG criminal activity. The PhD can be completed via traditional thesis or by publication, to be agreed with the successful candidate and supervisory team.

Important dates

Applications close 5pm, Monday 1 July 2024

Benefits

This scholarship is available over 3 years.

Stipend of $34,400 per annum tax exempt (2024 rate)
Relocation allowance of $500-1500 (for single to family) for students moving from interstate
International students only: Tuition fees offset for the duration of 4 years. Single Overseas Student Health Cover policy for the duration of the student visa.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible you must:

be a domestic or international candidate. Domestic includes candidates with Australian Citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency or New Zealand Citizenship.
meet Deakin's PhD entry requirements
be enrolling full time and hold an honours degree (first class) or an equivalent standard master's degree with a substantial research component.

Please refer to the research degree entry pathways page for further information.

How to apply

Please email a CV and cover letter to Prof David Bright. The CV should highlight your skills, education, publications and relevant work experience. If you are successful you will then be invited to submit a formal application.