Bronwyn has a background in social science education and textbook, curriculum and resource development. She researches in the fields of education policy, citizenship education, youth sociology, youth politics and geographies. She has strongly advocated for lowering the voting age to 16 in New Zealand and enhancing civics education in schools.

In 2016 Bronwyn was awarded a Research Excellence Award from the Victoria University of Wellington, and in 2019 received the Early Career Research Excellence Award for Social Sciences. In 2019, she was made a member of the Ministry of Education’s Civics Education Working Group, and she regularly provides media commentary and advice on citizenship education, curriculum policy and youth engagement to government and community organisations. Her research has attracted worldwide interest, resulting in her being invited to give three international keynotes in 2019.