Prof Russell Brewer
Professor
School of Society and Culture
College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences
Dr Russell Brewer is a Professor of Criminology and Director of the Australian Cybercrime Observatory. His research spans the technological and human dimensions of cybercrime - examining the risk factors that drive (cyber)criminal behaviour, as well as developing new AI‑driven technologies that are capable of identifying perpetrators of crime, and detecting emerging trends across large‑scale online environments. His program of work is supported by nationally competitive grants and sustained through deep partnerships with law enforcement, defence, and leading industry stakeholders. This research has been published in leading books, academic and trade journals.
For more information visit www.CybercrimeObservatory.au
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 - ongoing | Professor | Adelaide University |
| 2021 - 2025 | Associate Professor | University of Adelaide |
| 2019 - 2021 | Senior Lecturer | University of Adelaide |
| 2016 - 2018 | Senior Lecturer | Flinders University |
| 2013 - 2016 | Lecturer | Flinders University |
| 2012 - 2012 | Research Fellow | Griffith University |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Teaching Award | Vice-Chancellor's Innovation in Teaching Award | Flinders University | Australia | - |
| 2014 | Research Award | Vice-Chancellor's Award for Early Career Researchers | Flinders University | Australia | - |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Australian National University | Australia | PhD |
| 2007 | Flinders University | Australia | BA (Hons) |
| 2006 | Simon Fraser University | Canada | BA |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Holt, T. J., Cross, C., Brewer, R., Cale, J., Logos, K., & Goldsmith, A. (2024). Assessing the Correlates of Online Fraud Offending Among Juveniles. Crime and Delinquency, 1-21. |
| 2024 | Whitten, T., Cale, J., Brewer, R., Logos, K., Holt, T. J., & Goldsmith, A. (2024). Exploring the Role of Self-Control Across Distinct Patterns of Cyber-Deviance in Emerging Adolescence. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 1-20. Scopus9 WoS9 Europe PMC3 |
| 2024 | Westlake, B. G., Seigfried-Spellar, K., Brewer, R., Napier, S., Logos, K., & Davidson, J. (2024). Innovations from the launch of the child sexual abuse reduction research network. Child Abuse and Neglect, 155, 106999. |
| 2024 | Westlake, B., Brewer, R., Toole, K., Daly, T., Swearingen, T., Fletcher, S., . . . Logos, K. (2024). Benefits and risks of implementing cloud-based technology for child sexual abuse investigations in Australia. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (699), 1-18. |
| 2023 | Turner, N., Holt, T. J., Brewer, R., Cale, J., & Goldsmith, A. (2023). Exploring the Relationship between Opportunity and Self-Control in Youth Exposure to and Sharing of Online Hate Content. Terrorism and Political Violence, 35(7), 1604-1619. Scopus11 WoS8 |
| 2023 | Malinski, R., Holt, T. J., Cale, J., Brewer, R., & Goldsmith, A. (2023). Applying Routine Activities Theory to Assess On and Offline Bullying Victimization among Australian Youth. Journal of School Violence, 22(1), 1-13. Scopus5 WoS4 |
| 2023 | Brewer, R., Westlake, B., Swearingen, T., Patterson, S., Bright, D., Ross, A., . . . Michalski, D. (2023). Advancing child sexual abuse investigations using biometrics and social network analysis. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 668(668), 1-16. Scopus4 WoS3 |
| 2023 | Brewer, R., Whitten, T., Logos, K., Sayer, M., Langos, C., Holt, T. J., . . . Goldsmith, A. (2023). Examining the Psychosocial and Behavioral Factors Associated with Adolescent Engagement in Multiple Types of Cyberdeviance: Results from an Australian Study. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32(7), 2046-2062. Scopus10 WoS8 |
| 2023 | Logos, K., Brewer, R., Langos, C., & Westlake, B. (2023). Establishing a framework for the ethical and legal use of web scrapers by cybercrime and cybersecurity researchers: Learnings from a systematic review of Australian research. International Journal of Law and Information Technology, 31(3), 186-212. Scopus6 WoS3 |
| 2023 | Logos, K., Brewer, R., Langos, C., & Westlake, B. (2023). Establishing a framework for the ethical and legal use of web scrapers by cybercrime and cybersecurity researchers: learnings from a systematic review of Australian research. International Journal of Law and Information Technology, 20, 1-27. |
| 2022 | Bright, D., Brewer, R., & Morselli, C. (2022). Reprint of: Using social network analysis to study crime: Navigating the challenges of criminal justice records. Social Networks, 69, 235-250. Scopus16 WoS13 |
| 2022 | Westlake, B., Brewer, R., Swearingen, T., Ross, A., Patterson, S., Michalski, D., . . . Afana, E. (2022). Developing automated methods to detect and match face and voice biometrics in child sexual abuse videos. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 648(648), 1-15. Scopus9 WoS6 |
| 2021 | Holt, K. M., Holt, T. J., Cale, J., Brewer, R., & Goldsmith, A. (2021). Assessing the role of self-control and technology access on adolescent sexting and sext dissemination. Computers in Human Behavior, 125, 106952-1-106952-8. Scopus16 WoS18 |
| 2021 | Holt, T. J., Cale, J., Brewer, R., & Goldsmith, A. (2021). Assessing the role of opportunity and low self-control in juvenile hacking. Crime and Delinquency, 67(5), 662-688. Scopus17 WoS14 |
| 2021 | Bright, D., Brewer, R., & Morselli, C. (2021). Using social network analysis to study crime: Navigating the challenges of criminal justice records. Social Networks, 66, 50-64. Scopus68 WoS57 |
| 2020 | Bright, D., & Brewer, R. (2020). Innovations in research on illicit networks. Global Crime, 21(1), 1-2. Scopus1 |
| 2019 | Holt, T. J., Brewer, R., & Goldsmith, A. (2019). Digital drift and the “sense of injustice”: counter-productive policing of youth cybercrime. Deviant Behavior, 40(9), 1144-1156. Scopus41 WoS31 |
| 2018 | Brewer, R., Cale, J., Goldsmith, A., & Holt, T. (2018). Young people, the internet, and emerging pathways into criminality: a study of Australian adolescents. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 12(1), 115-132. Scopus34 WoS29 |
| 2017 | Brewer, R. (2017). The malleable character of brokerage and crime control: a study of policing, security and network entrepreneurialism on Melbourne’s waterfront. Policing and Society, 27(7), 712-731. Scopus14 WoS7 |
| 2017 | Roach Anleu, S., Brewer, R., & Mack, K. (2017). Locating the Judge within Sentencing Research. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 6(2), 46-63. Scopus11 WoS10 |
| 2015 | Goldsmith, A., & Brewer, R. (2015). Digital drift and the criminal interaction order. Theoretical Criminology, 19(1), 112-130. Scopus94 WoS77 |
| 2014 | Brewer, R., & Grabosky, P. (2014). The Unraveling of Public Security in the United States: The Dark Side of Police-Community Co-Production. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 39(1), 139-154. Scopus35 WoS32 |
| 2014 | Brewer, R. (2014). Policing the Waterfront. |
| 2013 | Brewer, R. (2013). Enhancing Crime Control Partnerships Across Government: Examining the Role of Trust and Social Capital on American and Australian Waterfronts. Police Quarterly, 16(4), 371-394. Scopus10 WoS8 |
| 2012 | Brewer, R. (2012). A Snapshot of Crime Prevention Partnerships on Australian and American Waterfronts. CEPS Briefing Paper Series, 1-6. |
| 2008 | Brewer, R., & Dalton, D. (2008). Assessing the Importance of Culture in Explaining Drug Use amongst Indigenous Police Detainees in Adelaide. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 20(2), 265-286. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Brewer, R., Vel-Palumbo, M. D., Hutchings, A., Holt, T., Goldsmith, A., & Maimon, D. (2019). Cybercrime prevention: theory and applications. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI |
| 2018 | Lennon, C., & Brewer, R. (Eds.) (2018). Criminal Justice and Regulation Revisted: Essays in Honour of Peter Grabosky. Routledge. DOI Scopus1 |
| 2014 | Brewer, R. (2014). Policing the Waterfront: Networks, Partnerships, and the Governance of Port Security. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Brewer, R., Westlake, B., Hart, T., & Arauza, O. (2021). The Ethics of Web Crawling and Web Scraping in Criminological Research: Navigating Issues of Consent, Privacy and Other Potential Harms Associated with Automated Data Collection. In A. Lavorgna, & T. Holt (Eds.), Researching Cybercrimes: Methodologies, Ethics, and Critical Approaches (pp. 435-456). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave MacMillan. DOI Scopus19 |
| 2020 | Brewer, R., Fox, S., & Miller, C. (2020). Applying the techniques of neutralization to the study of cybercrime. In T. Holt, & A. Bossler (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of international cybercrime and cyberdeviance (pp. 547-565). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave. DOI Scopus13 |
| 2019 | Brewer, R., de Vel-Palumbo, M., Hutchings, A., Holt, T., Goldsmith, A., & Maimon, D. (2019). Restorative Justice. In Cybercrime Prevention (pp. 109-122). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| 2019 | Brewer, R., de Vel-Palumbo, M., Hutchings, A., Holt, T., Goldsmith, A., & Maimon, D. (2019). Positive Diversions. In Cybercrime Prevention (pp. 93-108). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| 2019 | Brewer, R., de Vel-Palumbo, M., Hutchings, A., Holt, T., Goldsmith, A., & Maimon, D. (2019). Designing and Evaluating Crime Prevention Solutions for the Digital Age. In Cybercrime Prevention (pp. 125-146). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| 2019 | Brewer, R., de Vel-Palumbo, M., Hutchings, A., Holt, T., Goldsmith, A., & Maimon, D. (2019). Setting the Scene. In Cybercrime Prevention (pp. 1-14). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| 2019 | Brewer, R., de Vel-Palumbo, M., Hutchings, A., Holt, T., Goldsmith, A., & Maimon, D. (2019). Targeted Warnings and Police Cautions. In Cybercrime Prevention (pp. 77-90). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| 2019 | Brewer, R., de Vel-Palumbo, M., Hutchings, A., Holt, T., Goldsmith, A., & Maimon, D. (2019). Mentoring Programs. In Cybercrime Prevention (pp. 63-76). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| 2019 | Brewer, R., de Vel-Palumbo, M., Hutchings, A., Holt, T., Goldsmith, A., & Maimon, D. (2019). Educational Workshops. In Cybercrime Prevention (pp. 51-62). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| 2019 | Brewer, R., de Vel-Palumbo, M., Hutchings, A., Holt, T., Goldsmith, A., & Maimon, D. (2019). Situational Crime Prevention. In Cybercrime Prevention (pp. 17-33). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| 2018 | Brewer, R. (2018). Non-state actors as brokers of crime control. In Criminal Justice and Regulation Revisited (pp. 85-108). Routledge. DOI |
| 2018 | Brewer, R., & Chang, L. Y. C. (2018). Peter Grabosky. In Criminal Justice and Regulation Revisited (pp. 3-16). Routledge. DOI |
| 2018 | Chang, L. Y. C., & Brewer, R. (2018). Conclusions. In Criminal Justice and Regulation Revisited (pp. 186-192). Routledge. DOI |
| 2018 | Brewer, R., & Chang, L. Y. (2018). Peter Grabosky: At the interface of criminal justice and regulation. In Y. Chang, & R. Brewer (Eds.), Criminal justice and regulation revisited: Essays in honour of Peter Grabosky (pp. 3-16). United Kingdom: Routledge. DOI |
| 2018 | Chang, L. Y., & Brewer, R. (2018). Conclusions. In Y. C. Lennon, & R. Brewer (Eds.), Criminal justice and regulation revisted: Essays in honour of Peter Grabosky (pp. 186-192). Routledge. DOI |
| 2018 | Brewer, R. (2018). Non-State Actors as Brokers of Crime Control: Accounting for Entrepreneurialism on the Waterfront. In L. Chang, & R. Brewer (Eds.), Criminal Justice and Regulation Revisited: Essays in Honour of Peter Grabosky (pp. 85-108). United Kingdom: Routledge. DOI |
| 2017 | Brewer, R. (2017). Controlling crime through networks. In P. Drahos (Ed.), Regulation, Institutions and Networks (pp. 447-464). ACT; Australia: ANU Press. |
| 2014 | Brewer, R. (2014). Crime, Police, and the Waterfront. In Policing the Waterfront (pp. 2-31). Oxford University Press. DOI |
| 2014 | Brewer, R. (2014). Identifying Barriers to Collaboration on an Australian Waterfront. In Policing the Waterfront (pp. 134-170). Oxford University Press. DOI |
| 2014 | Brewer, R. (2014). Charting the Evolution of Collaborative Crime Control. In Policing the Waterfront (pp. 32-60). Oxford University Press. DOI |
| 2014 | Brewer, R. (2014). Reforming and Re-imagining Collaborative Crime Control Partnerships. In Policing the Waterfront (pp. 172-199). Oxford University Press. DOI |
| 2014 | Brewer, R. (2014). The Anatomy of Policing American and Australian Waterfronts. In Policing the Waterfront (pp. 62-100). Oxford University Press. DOI |
| 2014 | Brewer, R. (2014). Crafting Productive Partnerships on an American Waterfront. In Policing the Waterfront (pp. 101-133). Oxford University Press. DOI |
| Year | Amount | Funding Body | Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $555,000 | Australian Research Council Linkage Project | Consolidating intelligence data to identify victims of child sexual abuse |
| 2025 | $81,126 | Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation | Assessing children's ability to detect risky online behaviour: Implications for preventing sexual exploitation and abuse |
| 2022 | $271,541 | Australian Institute of Criminology | Advancing child sexual abuse victim and perpetrator identification using biometrics |
| 2021 | $50,000 | Cybersecurity Cooperative Research Centre | Examining the legal and ethical dimensions of using automated data collection technologies to combat cyber threats in Australia |
| 2020 | $349,762 | Centre for Invasive Species Solutions | Biosecurity surveillance of e-commerce and other online platforms for illegal trade in plants |
| 2019 | $169,298 | Australian Institute of Criminology | Developing automated audio and facial recognition biometric tools for detecting child exploitation material online |
| 2019 | $20,000 | Cybersecurity Cooperative Research Centre | Adolescent pathways into cybercrime: Assessing the impact of interventions and informing prevention |
| 2017 | $296,000 | Australian Research Council Discovery Project | Becoming delinquent online: A longitudinal adolescent study |
| 2017 | $1,526,000 | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council | Economical, psychological and societal impacts of ransomware |
| 2017 | $54,625 | UK Home Office and National Cybercrime Unit | Developing approaches to prevent cybercrime |
Russell coordinates the following courses:
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| CRIM 2004 | Criminology across borders |
| CRIM 3002 | Criminological research |
| CRIM 3006 | Cybercrime and cyber-deviance |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Re-framing police classification systems to enhance child sexual abuse investigations through network science. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mr Warren James Bulmer |
| 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Re-framing police classification systems to enhance child sexual abuse investigations through network science. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mr Warren James Bulmer |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Disaggregating Extreme-Right Ideological Groups: An Australian Analysis | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Aaron Thomas Calbert |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Increasing Access to Justice for Autistic Individuals in the Criminal Justice System | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Courtney Tayla Spence |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Disaggregating Extreme-Right Ideological Groups: An Australian Analysis | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Aaron Thomas Calbert |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Increasing Access to Justice for Autistic Individuals in the Criminal Justice System | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Courtney Tayla Spence |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Advancing the prosecution of child exploitation offences. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Bec Medhurst |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Assessing the extent to which third party regulatory activities impact online illicit wildlife trade. | Doctor of Philosophy under a Jointly-awarded Degree Agreement with | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Ashley Jean Allen |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Assessing the extent to which third party regulatory activities impact online illicit wildlife trade. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Ashley Jean Allen |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Advancing the prosecution of child exploitation offences. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Bec Medhurst |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 - 2020 | Principal Supervisor | Punishing Disability: The Lived Experience of Incarcerated Women with Cognitive Disabilities in Australian Prisons | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mrs Julie-Anne Toohey |
| 2019 - 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Digital Drift, Online Sexual Behaviours and Internet Pathology in Adolescents | Master of Philosophy | Master | Part Time | Caitlan Elizabeth Sian Miller |
| Date | Role | Editorial Board Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 - ongoing | Board Member | Policing and Society: an international journal of research and policy | Taylor and Francis | United Kingdom |
| Date | Office Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 - ongoing | Convenor, Cybercrime and Digital Criminology Thematic Group | Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology | Australia |
