Debra is a Principal Research Fellow working with the Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities at Victoria University. She co-leads the Applied Security Science Partnership that brings together academics and security practitioners to develop robust evidence on terrorism and violent extremism and translate it for frontline practitioner use. She received her PhD in Political Science from Monash University for her exploration of the role of emotion within decisions to engage in violent political extremism.Debra has worked on projects with various law enforcement and government partners to understand factors that lead to violent political extremism. She is currently researching behavioural indicators and risk factors associated with violent extremism, the contemporary extreme right in Australia and the area of social influence within the realm of social media and its relationship to violent extremism.