Research can serve as a tool for solidarity with survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) by emphasizing survivors’ needs and strengths, advocating for the redistribution of power and resources to survivors, outlining the systemic barriers that disrupt survivors’ abilities to access resources, and identifying ways in which violence can be prevented and interrupted. However, there are a myriad of challenges to adequately and appropriately employ research as the means to these ends. There are numerous tensions that arise when trying to examine the associations between relationship dynamics and IPV perpetration, investigate racial disparities in the perpetration of violence, and apply intersectionality theory to conceptualizing and exploring gender-based violence. This session will illustrate key tensions the presenters have encountered in their research on intimate partner violence and encourage attendees to share the complexities they encounter in their work. Discussants will provide brief overviews of their work and the unique difficulties they have encountered, followed by an interactive discussion that uses the collective expertise of the group to identify strategies for navigating these complexities. This session will explore the challenges of incorporating an intersectional and critical systems-analysis into research designs of studies on IPV, as well as consider how power can be accounted for at multiple levels of the ecological model when considering outcomes at the individual and interpersonal levels. In addition, this session will interrogate how systems of oppression may influence experiences of IPV amongst marginalised communities, thus necessitating unique conceptualizations of prevention and intervention. The session will end with soliciting key take-aways from attendees and a resource share amongst participants for sources of information and practice to help us navigate these complexities.