Rate My Professor Caitlin Mollica

Dr Caitlin Mollica is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the Newcastle Business School within the College of Human and Social Futures at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy from Griffith University and a Master of Arts in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University. Her academic interests center on youth agency and participation, transitional justice, gender, access to justice, and human rights. Applying a human rights lens to post-conflict policy, she investigates factors that enable or constrain inclusive governance. Her primary research explores young people's involvement in transitional justice, reconciliation, and human rights mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific region, informed by international relations, international law, and feminist theories. Current projects examine interactions between youth-led organizations and donors under United Nations Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security. Prior to academia, she worked in public service and non-governmental organizations, building an international reputation for policy-impacting research used in training UN peace practitioners and helping youth peacebuilders secure funding through public reports. She emphasizes inclusive methodologies that prioritize youth narratives and position them as knowledge producers, advancing transformations in political and justice institutions for marginalized groups.

Mollica's monograph, Agency and Ownership in Reconciliation: Youth and the Practice of Transitional Justice (State University of New York Press, 2024), exemplifies her contributions. Key journal articles include 'Reciprocal institutional visibility: Youth, peace and security and “inclusive” agendas at the United Nations' (Cooperation and Conflict, 2022; 57 citations), 'The diversity of identity: youth participation at the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission' (Australian Journal of International Affairs, 2017; 35 citations), and 'The unfinished business of the Solomon Islands TRC: closing the implementation gap' (The Pacific Review, 2017; 14 citations). She has authored chapters on youth engagement in transitional justice sites, creating inclusive spaces for children's stories, and youth peacebuilding, alongside reports like 'Youth and Peace in the Indo-Pacific: Policy, Practice, Action' (2021). Mollica has secured seven grants totaling $195,861, leading a $135,599 Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success project on equitable learning for students with invisible disabilities (2024-2025). In 2025, she won the Newcastle Business School Research Engagement and Translation Award for advancing youth inclusion and peacebuilding. As Program Convenor for the Bachelor of Business and related degrees, she shapes business education. Her work enhances dialogue between youth, women, communities, and policymakers.