My research interests are in the fields of youth, social justice and criminal justice. I have a particular interest in in-depth qualitative research with marginalised groups, including those who have experience of care and/ or justice systems. My recent research projects include:

• Youth Justice: Tracing the Review (August 2019-June 2021) - I am a co-investigator on this project commissioned by Include Youth, the Children's Law Centre, VOYPIC and NIACRO. Through documentary analysis and interviews with key stakeholders the research aims to examine progress on implementation of the NI Youth Justice Review (2009) recommendations, examining barriers and enablers to progress. The findings of the research will be used by the commissioning organisations to lobby for movement in the area of youth justice and children's rights.

• Participation for Protection (Dec 2017-Nov 2019) - I am Principal Investigator on this international  project funded by the European Commission. Parners includes academic and research institutions and NGOs in: Austria (Ludwig Boltzmann Institut Fur Menschenrechte Forschungsverein), Belgium (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Kenniscentrum Kinderrechten), Germany (Hochschule Rheinmain), the Republic of Ireland (NUI Galway), Romania (Universitatea Babes Bolyai) and the UK (QUB, Include Youth, University of Nottingham). The project adopts a child-rights based approach to developing training and resources for child victims of violence. Two children and young people's advisory groups work alongside the QUB team in desiging the research, making sense of findings and informing training resources.
• Transgenerational Legacy and Young People (July 2018-June 2021) - I am a Co-Investigator on this project funded by the Commission for Victims and Survivors. Adopting a child-rights based approach it examines the impacts of conflict legacy on children and young people in Northern Ireland and the border regions of Ireland. The research engages with children and young people, parents, youth and community workers, departmental representatives and regional and statutory bodies. Two young people's advisory groups work alongside the QUB team on research design, analysis and dissemination.

I convene a number of undegraduate and postgraduate modules, including:

• Youth and Social Justice
• Qualitative Research in Childhood and Youth
• Youth Justice Dissertation
• Crime and the Media

I also contribute lectures to a range of modules including:

• Themes and Issues in Social Policy
• Exploring Criminology
• Criminlogical Theory
• Childhood and Youth Research in Practice
• Perspectives in Childhood and Youth
• Criminology/Sociology Dissertation Module

Adminstrative Duties and Membership

Senior Personal Tutor (2020-ongoing)

Programme Director BA Criminology (2017-2019)

Programme Director PG Dip/MSc in Youth Justice (2014-2019)

Member of the Centre for Children's Rights

Member of the Digital Literacies Faculty Working Group

Member of the Partnership Steering Group for the Peace IV funded Strive Programme 

Google Scholar Profile