Dr James Beaufils is a Senior Research Fellow at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research and the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology Sydney. He is a Gundungurra man from the Pejar area and Kanak from New Caledonia.

James has conducted research in child protection, justice, criminology, and education across Australia and the UK. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education (English, Geography, and Aboriginal Studies), and a Master of Criminology from the University of Sydney, as well as an MSc in Child Development from Jesus College, Oxford.

He completed his Master’s thesis with Distinction at Oxford, examining access to education and educational attainment for young people who are incarcerated or supervised in Secure Children’s Homes. This work was undertaken through the Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and Education. During his master’s studies, James was both a Charlie Perkins Scholar and a Chevening Scholar.

His doctoral research explored the experiences of First Nations people in the New South Wales Out-of-Home Care system, and was completed without corrections. 

Prior to his academic career, James was an elite athlete, parole officer, educator, mentor, social worker, and consultant. In his current role, he partners with government and non-government organisations in an advisory capacity, including contributing to post-release support initiatives for parolees within NSW Justice.