Professor David Bright is a criminologist and forensic psychologist. Prior to a career in academia, he worked in a range of clinical and forensic settings including community mental health services, police agencies, courts, and prisons. After completing a PhD in forensic psychology in 2008, Professor Bright joined the National Drug and Alcohol Centre at UNSW, where he conducted research on illicit drug markets and organised criminal groups. In 2012 he commenced a teaching and research position with the School of Social Sciences at UNSW where he subsequently took up the role of Deputy Head of School (Research). In 2016, he was appointed Associate Dean Research for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at UNSW. He commenced at Flinders University in 2017.

Professor Bright's research interests include criminal networks, organised crime, terrorism, drugs and crime, and desistance from crime. He is Director of the Flinders Illicit Networks Lab which conducts ground-breaking research using social network analysis and related approaches to study organised criminal groups and terrorist groups. He is also convenor of the ANZSOC Thematic Group on Illicit Networks.

Professor Bright has been Chief Investigator on five consecutive ARC funded projects as well as projects funded by industry and government (ie Category 2 and 3 funds). He is the author (with Associate Professor Chad Whelan) of Organised Crime and Law Enforcement: A Network Perspective (published by Routledge in 2021).