Sheryl is a research-only Professor of Psychology at Australian Catholic University. Sheryl is committed to disseminating and translating research findings into practice and policy. Her main areas of research are:
- child, adolescent and young adults' social and emotional development
- prevention of bullying, cyber bullying, violence, antisocial behaviour, and substance use
- promotion of mental health
- impact of school discipline/behaviour management (including school suspension) on students and school staff
- schools and communities as contexts for prevention
- descriptive longitudinal studies
- evaluation and trials of prevention approaches.