Bianca Fileborn

Bianca Fileborn is an Associate Professor in Criminology and serves as the Criminology Discipline Chair in the School of Social and Political Sciences, Faculty of Arts, at the University of Melbourne. Their research focuses on sexual violence, encompassing street harassment, gender-based violence in public spaces, digital activism, #MeToo movements, LGBTQ+ experiences of harassment, and innovative justice responses. Fileborn investigates the interplay of space, place, culture, identity, and violence prevention, including bystander intervention, informal justice via social media, and spatial justice. They coordinate the Master of Criminology program and contribute to teaching on gender-based violence in higher education.

Fileborn has authored influential books such as #MeToo and the Politics of Social Change (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019, co-edited with Rachel Loney-Howes) and Reclaiming the Night-Time Economy: Unwanted Sexual Attention in Pubs and Clubs (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). Key peer-reviewed publications include 'The #MeToo Movement: An Opportunity in Public Health?' (The Lancet, 2018, with A. O'Neil et al.), 'Justice 2.0: Street Harassment Victims’ Use of Social Media and Online Activism as Sites of Informal Justice' (British Journal of Criminology, 2017), 'I Want to be Able to Walk the Street Without Fear: Transforming Justice for Street Harassment' (Feminist Legal Studies, 2017, with F. Vera-Gray), and 'From “Ghettoization” to a Field of Its Own: A Comprehensive Review of Street Harassment Research' (Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 2023, with T. O’Neill). They hold the Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA, DE190100404) for research on achieving justice in response to street harassment and serve as Chief Investigator on ARC Discovery Project DP230101503. Previously, Fileborn was a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of New South Wales and a Research Officer at the Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University.

Professional Email: biancaf@unimelb.edu.au