Dr Franka Vaughan
Research Fellow
Research Focus: Anti-racism, colonialism, migration & international development
Franka is African living, working and learning on the unceded lands of the Kulin Nation in Melbourne (Naarm), Australia. She is a race relations researcher with a passion for social justice. Franka is currently working with the Gender and Women's Health Unit to deliver and evaluate the racial literacy component of the University of Melbourne’s Anti-Racism Action Plan (2024–2027).
Her PhD, awarded in 2023 by the University of Melbourne, examined the influence of Black American colonization of Liberia on post-war disputes about identity and belonging. The thesis provides critical insights into whiteness as a knowledge system that can be adopted by non-white groups to marginalize Others, underscoring the racial and positional complexities that inform Franka’s research, teaching, and advocacy.
She has extensive experience in anti-racism research, recognizing racism as a critical determinant of health and wellbeing in Australia, having worked on two major VicHealth-funded projects: Understanding Reporting Barriers and Support Needs of Those Experiencing Racism (2022–2024) and Enhancing the Capacity of Victorian Sport to Promote Anti-Racism (2023–2025). These projects highlight her expertise in co-design methodologies and decolonial research practices that prioritize the lived experiences of participants.
From 2018 to 2023, Franka co-convened the African Studies Group at the University of Melbourne, fostering an inclusive scholarly community for international students and emerging scholars interested in Africa and its global interconnections.