Grace is a senior lecturer in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work and the Director of the Global Research Alliance. Grace was the recipient of the 2014 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Early Career Researchers in recognition of outstanding contributions to excellence in research. From 2018-2020 she was Co-President of the International Observatory on School Climate and Violence Prevention.

Grace is the lead investigator for an international peer aggression and well-being study involving 12 countries and approximately 7000 students and an ongoing international study of the impact of lockdown on student mental health and well-being. She has been a joint investigator in the well-being and positive peer relations project in Maltese schools. She was the chief investigator on a similar research study with funding from a grant awarded by the International Baccalaureate Organisation, where she led a team investigating the well-being of 2,000 middle school students.

Grace’s background includes research on adolescent health with CSIRO and with adolescent offenders at the Office of Crime Statistics and Research (OCSAR) in South Australia. As a researcher at Flinders University, Grace has continued to research the well-being of young people, particularly in anti-social contexts, such as bullying and other antisocial behaviour.

Grace teaches post-graduate students and works collaboratively with other researchers at Flinders University. She also supervises postgraduate students undertaking Masters, EdD and PhD studies.