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Monica Barratt1

Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre and Digital Ethnography Research Centre, RMIT University
I am a social scientist working at the Social and Global Studies Centre and Digital Ethnography Research Centre at RMIT University as Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow. I also hold a visiting appointment at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), UNSW Sydney.

My research investigates psychoactive drug use in digital society. I am particularly interested in how digital technologies and the cultures they sustain are transforming longstanding social problems like illicit drug use. My work crosses a variety of disciplines, including sociology and criminology alongside epidemiology and public health.

My expertise is in research (and I'm a research methods and ethics nerd!). But I don't want to just do research for the sake of it. I believe that people who use drugs have a right to access the best health interventions and care, and the most accurate information, as possible. In my work I have developed partnerships with people most affected by drug policy, that is, people who themselves currently take drugs in the settings I am investigating, and in some cases, their families and friends. I believe it is critical to do research and construct policy *with* these groups, not *for* them.

My recent work has been funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Research fellowship and by NHMRC, US National Institutes of Health, New Zealand's Marsden Foundation and Australian Institute of Criminology project grants.

I also hold the following appointments: Australian Research Lead, Global Drug Survey; Director of Research, Bluelight.org; Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator (Victoria), The Loop Australia; Associate Editor, International Journal of Drug Policy; Deputy Editor, Drug and Alcohol Review.

Novel drugs are leading to rising overdose deaths in Victoria – drug checking services could help

Oct 23, 2023 08:07 am UTC| Life

Many of the harms people experience from using illegal drugs are a result of unregulated supply. Drugs may be contaminated, or completely substituted with something unexpected. They may also be of variable and unknown...

Economy

US-India Trade Bombshell: Tariffs Slashed to 18% — Rupee Soars, Sensex Explodes

Announced on February 2, 2026, the US-India commerce deal offers Indian exports significant tariff relief. From 25% to 18%, US reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods have been cut; the extra 25% punitive tariff connected with...

India Services Sector Rebounds in January as New Business Gains Momentum: HSBC PMI Shows Growth

Indias dominant services sector showed a strong rebound in January after slipping to an 11-month low in December, supported by a rise in new business activity, according to the latest HSBC India Services Purchasing...

Asian Currencies Trade Sideways as Dollar Stabilizes, Yen Weakens Ahead of Japan Election

Most Asian currencies traded within a narrow range on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar steadied following a strong rebound over the past week, while the Japanese yen underperformed amid growing political uncertainty ahead of a...

Australia’s Corporate Regulator Urges Pension Funds to Boost Technology Investment as Industry Grows

Australias corporate regulator has warned the countrys rapidly expanding pension fund industry that it must significantly increase investment in systems, technology, and governance to safeguard its future and avoid...

Trump Administration Sued Over Suspension of Critical Hudson River Tunnel Funding

New York and New Jersey have filed an emergency lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to restore federal funding for the $16 billion Hudson River tunnel project, a critical piece of U.S. transportation...

Politics

Illinois Joins WHO Global Outbreak Network After U.S. Exit, Following California’s Lead

Illinois will join the World Health Organizations Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), marking a significant public health move following the United States official withdrawal from the WHO last month....

U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Expected in Oman Following Venue Change Request

Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran are expected to take place in Oman on Friday, according to a report by Axios journalist Barak Ravid, who cited an Arab source familiar with the matter. The upcoming...

Trump Extends AGOA Trade Program for Africa Through 2026, Supporting Jobs and U.S.-Africa Trade

President Donald Trump has signed legislation extending the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a key U.S.-Africa trade program, through December 31, 2026. The extension is retroactive from September 30, 2025,...

Australian Scandium Project Backed by Richard Friedland Poised to Support U.S. Critical Minerals Stockpile

An Australian scandium mining project backed by billionaire mining executive Richard Friedland is expected to play a role in the United States newly announced $12 billion critical minerals stockpile, according to comments...

Stephen Miran Resigns as White House Economic Adviser Amid Federal Reserve Tenure

Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran has formally resigned from his role as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), fulfilling a commitment he made to the U.S. Senate as his tenure at the Federal...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Tencent Shares Slide After WeChat Restricts YuanBao AI Promotional Links

Shares of Tencent Holdings (HK:0700) fell sharply on Wednesday after its popular messaging platform WeChat blocked certain promotional links related to YuanBao, the companys artificial intelligence chatbot. The move...

Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies

Nvidia is reportedly nearing a major investment deal with OpenAI, signaling a significant development in the global artificial intelligence landscape. According to sources cited by Reuters, the chipmaking giant is in...

Anthropic Eyes $350 Billion Valuation as AI Funding and Share Sale Accelerate

Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic is reportedly preparing a major secondary share sale that would allow some employees to sell shares at a valuation of at least $350 billion, according to a recent Bloomberg report....

AMD Shares Slide Despite Earnings Beat as Cautious Revenue Outlook Weighs on Stock

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) delivered a solid quarterly earnings beat, topping Wall Street expectations on both revenue and profit, yet its stock slipped in extended trading after the company projected a sequential...

Nintendo Shares Slide After Earnings Miss Raises Switch 2 Margin Concerns

Nintendo shares fell sharply on Wednesday after the Japanese gaming giant reported weaker-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, intensifying investor concerns over profitability and margins tied to its highly...