I joined the Centre for Child and Family Justice Research in August 2016 as a Senior Research Associate, based in the Law School. I am delighted to be employed on the project: ‘A National Study of Supervision Orders and Special Guardianship’ under Professor Judith Harwin and Professor Karen Broadhurst. This move was a natural progression for me having spent the last 18 months conducting a mixed methods empirical evaluation of front line services within a North West local authority. I am a BPS registered Chartered Psychologist and completed my higher  education at the University of Liverpool. I have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology; a Master’s degree with Distinction in Investigative Psychology; and I completed an ESRC funded Case Award PhD in collaboration with Lancashire Constabulary.  My PhD draws heavily on the personality literature and our understanding of behavioural consistency over time and context and applies mathematical models to address a real world policing problem- ‘Crime Linkage’.

Alongside my primary employment I have worked for the last 12 years as a specialist academic mentor for undergraduate and postgraduate students with diverse mental health needs. I am passionate about this work, mental health awareness and equality. I have also held two part-time lectureships in order to support my studies, teaching across forensics and criminology but primarily with a focus on quantitative research methods and statistics which I thoroughly enjoy.

Since completing my doctorate I have also pursued consultancy work alongside my primary employment and have conducted a number of evaluations, reviews and scoping exercises; in addition I conduct work for the civil courts.

I have a diverse background in mixed methods research across mental health, policing and public policy in relation to early intervention. I am expert in actuarial assessment and its applications within forensics and mental health assessment. I have worked with many vulnerable groups in both a research and consultancy capacity, including: victims of abuse and trauma, victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse, those who misuse drugs and alcohol, and individuals with specific developmental and mental health disorders.