Matthew McCallion

Matthew McCallion is a PhD student researcher at the School of Law. His research focuses on criminal liability, with a particular focus on solving the tension between the objective nature of criminal liability and emerging theories on neurodiversity. This will be achieved by examining the binary approach used to judge autistic defendants and inquiring whether alternative approaches based on the neurodiversity paradigm should be used instead, in order to account for autistic characteristics.

This thesis is supervised by Dr Alessandro Corda (principal supervisor), Dr Clayton Ó Néill (secondary supervisor), and Prof Thérèse Murphy (tertiary supervisor). The project is funded by the Department for the Economy (DfE) and is entitled: 'Criminal Law and the Autistic Defendant: Solving the tension between the objective nature of criminal liability and emerging theories on neurodiversity'.

Qualifications

2021-present: Ph.D in Law (ongoing). School of Law, Queen's University Belfast.

2019: Degree of Barrister-at-Law. The Honorable Society of the Inn of Court of Northern Ireland.

2018-2019: Pg.Dip in Professional Legal Studies. Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Queen's University Belfast.

2017-2018: LL.M in Human Rights and Criminal Justice. School of Law, Queen's University Belfast.

2014-2017: LL.B (Hons). School of Law, Queen's University Belfast.