Sharon Pickering (academic)

Sharon Pickering FASSA
Pickering in 2025
Awards	Australian Human Rights Award for Print and Online Media (2012) Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (2018)
Academic background
Education	University of Melbourne (BA, PhD) University of Southampton (MA)
Thesis	Women, Policing, and Resistance in Northern Ireland
Academic work
Discipline	Criminology

Sharon Pickering FASSA is an academic who serves as the Vice-Chancellor of Monash University since 2024.

Pickering graduated from the University of Melbourne with a PhD in 2000 for her thesis Women, policing and resistance in Northern Ireland.

Pickering is a scholar of criminology who earned her the Australian Human Rights Commission Award.

In 2018, she was made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Social Sciences.

Early life and education

Sharon Pickering studied at the University of Melbourne, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1994. She subsequently earned a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Southampton in 1995. Returning to the University of Melbourne, she completed a Doctor of Philosophy in 2000. Her doctoral research examined women, policing, and resistance in Northern Ireland during the period of political conflict known as the Troubles.

Academic career

Pickering began her academic career in the fields of criminology and social science, with research interests that included policing, human rights, migration, and border governance. She joined Monash University in 2003 and held a number of academic and leadership positions during her tenure. These included roles as professor of criminology, head of social science, and director of the Border Crossing Observatory, a research initiative focused on migration, mobility, and border practices.

At Monash University, Pickering also held senior administrative appointments, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) and Senior Vice-President. In these roles, she was involved in the development of educational strategy, academic programs, and international partnerships across the university's Australian and international campuses.

In 2024, Pickering became vice-chancellor and president of Monash University, succeeding Margaret Gardner. As Vice-Chancellor, she has responsibility for the university's academic, research, and administrative operations.

Research

Pickering's research has focused on criminology, migration, border control, human trafficking, refugee policy, and human rights. Her work has examined the relationship between border enforcement, security policies, and the movement of people across national boundaries. She has also studied the impacts of migration governance on refugees, asylum seekers, and other mobile populations.

A significant part of her research has explored the criminology of borders. including the role of policing and surveillance in migration management. Her publications have addressed issues such as irregular migration, deportation, transnational crime, and the intersection of gender and border control.

Throughout her academic career, Pickering has received funding from the Australian Research Council and has collaborated with research, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations in Australia and internationally.

Public engagement and advisory roles

Pickering has served on a number of advisory, governance, and professional bodies. She has contributed to discussions relating to higher education policy, international education, migration, and social policy. Her leadership roles have included service on university committees, research advisory groups, and external organizations connected to education and public policy.

Pickering has also participated in initiatives aimed at strengthening international collaboration in higher education and research, particularly within the Asia-Pacific region.