Human/Animal studies; contemporary film theory; surrealism;  feminism; race and Darwinian theory; film and human rights.

Barbara is a member of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. She is on a number of international editorial boards and acts as a reader for various  publishing houses and journals. She is an assessor for the Australian Research Council. Barbara is an active figure in the film community as a film reviewer, speaker and writer. She has served on the Boards of the Melbourne Writers Week, the Melbourne International Film Festival, the Melbourne Queer Film Festiva, and the VCA School of Film and Television.  Barbara initiated the establishment of the Human Rights & Animal Ethics Research Network (HRAE) in  2011. Barbara also served as Head of the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne for four years. She is the recipient/co-recipient of five Australian Research Council Discovery grants.