Rate My Professor Russell Brewer

Professor Russell Brewer is a Professor of Criminology and Director of the Adelaide Cybercrime Laboratory at the University of Adelaide. He earned his PhD from the Australian National University in 2012, BA (Hons) from Flinders University in 2007, and BA from Simon Fraser University in 2006. His career trajectory includes serving as Professor at Adelaide University since 2026, Associate Professor at the University of Adelaide from 2021 to 2025, Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide from 2019 to 2021, Senior Lecturer at Flinders University from 2016 to 2018, Lecturer at Flinders University from 2013 to 2016, and Research Fellow at Griffith University in 2012. Brewer is affiliated with the School of Society and Culture in the College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences.

His research examines the technological and human dimensions of cybercrime, including risk factors for cybercriminal behaviour, and develops AI-driven tools to identify perpetrators and detect trends in large-scale online environments. Key interests encompass causes and prevention of crime, computer system security, crime policy, and criminology. This work receives support from nationally competitive grants and collaborations with law enforcement, defence, and industry partners. Brewer has earned the Vice-Chancellor's Innovation in Teaching Award in 2019 and the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Early Career Researchers in 2014, both from Flinders University. His publications feature prominently in top journals. Notable contributions include 'Assessing the Correlates of Online Fraud Offending Among Juveniles' (Crime and Delinquency, 2024, with Holt et al.), 'Exploring the Role of Self-Control Across Distinct Patterns of Cyber-Deviance in Emerging Adolescence' (International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2024, with Whitten et al.), 'Innovations from the launch of the child sexual abuse reduction research network' (Child Abuse and Neglect, 2024, with Westlake et al.), 'Benefits and risks of implementing cloud-based technology for child sexual abuse investigations in Australia' (Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 2024, with Westlake et al.), 'Exploring the Relationship between Opportunity and Self-Control in Youth Exposure to and Sharing of Online Hate Content' (Terrorism and Political Violence, 2023, with Turner et al.), and 'Using social network analysis to study crime: Navigating the challenges of criminal justice records' (Social Networks, 2021, with Bright and Morselli). These efforts advance understanding of youth cyber-deviance, online fraud, and child sexual abuse investigations.