ACADEMIA
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INDUSTRY
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CONVERSATION
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ACADEMIA / INDUSTRY / CONVERSATION /
A Message
from Kosta
Hi there,
I'm Kosta Lucas, and I am an academic and practitioner with over a decade of expertise in the areas of radicalisation, violent extremism and social justice,
Throughout my career, I’ve navigated a range of interconnected roles, and it can sometimes be challenging to keep track of the diverse elements that define who I am, both professionally and personally.
This website is simply a way for me to share my work in a way that I can show the interconnectedness of all the different throughlines that braid themselves into my life’s work.
No matter where I am or who I’m working with, my work consistently revolves around seeking and fostering a deeper understanding of social justice, and finding ways to build community resilience against division and enmity in its many forms.
Thanks for stopping by, and please feel free to get in touch should you be more curious about what I’m up to - I am always up for a chat.
MY PROFESSIONAL "THREADS”
While my life’s work has taken me in many directions, my expertise can perhaps be best understood through three domains of work, that act as consistent, interweaving threads that braid into my professional life.
ACADEMIa
My first, and now primary, throughline is my academic work. For over a decade, I have accumulated strong expertise in the fields of radicalisation, violent extremism, peace and conflict studies, and social justice.
I currently work as Lecturer at the University of Notre Dame Australia, where I coordinate the Social Justice Major. I integrate my extensive field experience into course design and delivery, offering lectures and tutorials on topics such as social justice, peace and conflict studies, and violent extremism.
Concurrent to my teaching work is my doctoral research, where I am undertaking research to illuminate the justice sensitivities of violent extremist actors.
For more information about my Academic work, please visit my Staff Profile at the University of Notre Dame Austalia.
INDUSTRY
Running in parallel to my academic work is my industry practice. In this role, I put my learnings from academia into practice by designing and delivering various community engagement projects that address critical societal challenges, including, but also beyond, preventing violent extremism and transforming hate into hope with organisations such as Change.org, Meta, Google, and the United Nations.
In this capacity, I run a specialist community engagement practice called Counterbrace (formerly SynqUp), which is a specialist arm within DrawHistory, a social change brand, design, and strategy agency.
For more information about my practice, please visit Counterbrace by DrawHistory.
CONVErSATION
For most of my career, my has involved providing support to communities, creatives, and corporates to start what they feel are important conversations.
However, it was not until 2021 that I started my own conversation via my first podcast, This Is Sparta. A personal podcast that allows me to explore the intersection of my own personal experiences with various adversities, and the societal phenomena I have spent a career trying to understand.
While a less obvious throughline in my career, both my academic and community work have happened in close proximity to (and with deep affinity for) the creative uses of conversation as ways to explore issues that matter to all of us.
To listen to my podcast, please visit This Is Sparta on Spotify.