Researcher biography

Denise received her BSc with honours in Psychology from the University of Queensland in 1996.  She then worked in the School of Social Science where she became involved in the Sibling Study, which investigated young people’s involvement in criminality and the criminal justice system.  She completed a PhD in 2010 using this data to investigate the environmental determinants of sibling similarities and differences in delinquency and drug use.  During her doctoral work Denise had opportunities to tutor and lecture in social research and work on various research projects.  Denise has returned to the Institute to work on a number of projects, including the Learning Catalysts project.

Research interests

  • Analysing quantitative social science data
  • Survey research methodology
  • Emotional/behavioural problems in children and adolescents