FCRG Members within the School of Psychology at UoL

Dr Ross Bartels – Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology and FCRG Lead

My research focuses on using socio-cognitive measures and paradigms to examine processes underlying and associated with sexual thoughts, fantasies, and cognitions.

Dr Lauren Smith – Lecturer in Forensic Psychology and FCRG Deputy Lead

I specialise in the journeys of people in, through, and out of the Criminal Justice System, with a particular emphasis on supporting transitions and supporting families of people with convictions.

Dr Georgina Gous – Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology

My research focuses on the accuracy of ear-witness testimony, investigating the use of leading questions during police interviews and cross-examination in court, the effectiveness of courtroom witness preparation techniques, the use of special measures for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses in court, and factors impacting jury decision-making.

Dr Hannah Merdian – Associate Professor in Forensic Psychology

My research interests are offenders who use child sexual exploitation material and their offence characteristics. I’m also interested in sexual deviancy and its assessment concerning criminal and non-criminal populations.

Rachael Dagnall – Associate Professor in Forensic Psychology

My research interests include occupational stress among staff working in high-stress environments and how to increase resilience within such populations. I also research rehabilitative cultures within prison environments.

Dr Tochukwu Onwuegbusi – Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology

My research focuses mainly on developing implicit/eyetracking measures for forensic assessment (e.g., sexual interest), attitudes to sexual offenders (ATS), among others.

Dr Matthew King-Parker – Lecturer in Forensic Psychology

My research focuses on burglary, investigating the potential aetiological factors, particularly cognitions, and social factors. I use virtual reality to allow for the simulation of burglary offences in an immersive environment.

Dr Phil Willmot – Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology

I am a Consultant Forensic and Clinical Psychologist in the Men’s Personality Disorder Service at Rampton Hospital. My specialist areas include personality disorder, violent and criminally diverse serious offenders, and schema therapy.

PhD Members

The FCRG also has a number of PhD members working with staff members on various forensic topics.

Sophie Richmond – PhD Researcher

I am interested in the well-being of staff working with multiple disadvantage groups within charity organisations, and the subsequent impact this has on service users. I have a particular interest in substance misuse and moral injury due to my previous work as a Recovery Worker and new role as a Trainee Mental Health and Well-being Practitioner.

Charlotte Petchey – PhD Researcher and Graduate teaching fellowship

I am currently conducting research into police approaches to substance-related harms (focusing on take home naloxone), in the hopes of increasing awareness around take home naloxone and the potential benefits and applications it can have in society, whilst working with the police.

Melanie St John-Howe – PhD Researcher and Teaching Assistant

Investigating the vividness of sexual fantasies and its effect on sexual behaviour

Claire Harman – PhD Researcher and Graduate Teaching Fellow

I’ve been studying Psychology for the past 20 years and engaging in research. For example, during my recent MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology, I conducted a dissertation on the indicators for Chemsex Involvement. I also have a history of public sector, private sector, and voluntary sector work in the areas of drug and alcohol recovery, and offending behaviour. I am currently working on my PhD looking at the feasibility of screening for problem gambling within drug and alcohol services, and mental health services.

David Karan – PhD Researcher and Associate Lecturer

I’m currently researching mock juror deliberations, delving into how cognitive and racial biases shape verdict decisions. My main goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of practical intervention methods in order to minimize these biases in the legal decision-making process.

Helen Howell – PhD Researcher

My research focuses on risk factors for human directed aggression in dogs, particularly those relating to a dog’s owner and their interactions with the dog. This is with the intention of developing a structured professional judgement tool for use in assessing the risk of human directed dog aggression.

Affiliate Members

The FCRG also has a number of affiliate members, both within and external to the school and university, who collaborate with the School of Psychology members.

Professor Todd Hogue – Emeritus Professor

My main research is related to people who have sexually offended including: measures of risk and clinical change; the impact of individual differences and personality disorder; measuring deviant sexual interest and arousal; and attitudes toward sexual offender and reintegration into society.

Michelle Smith – Forensic Psychologist

My areas of research interest include trauma and resilience in both offender populations and forensic staff, personality disordered offenders, and female offenders, .

Prof Amanda Roberts – Professor in Psychology

My current research examines the risk factors for addiction, pathological gambling, and antisocial behaviour.

Rachael Mason – Senior Lecturer in Health & Social Care

Research interests include understanding the links between violence, impulsivity and substance use.

Dr Aidan Hart – Clinical and Forensic Psychologist

Specialises in learning and conditioning theory, as well as the assessment and treatment of violent and sexual offending and mental health issues. Skilled in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Behaviour Therapies, and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Doctoral Alumni

The FCRG’s doctoral alumni are active researchers who have gone on to undertake cutting-edge scholarly work in various Forensic areas of importance. We are proud of our former PhD students and what they have accomplished since their time at the University of Lincoln. Here, we provide some details of our alumni to date.

Dr Negar Nematiniaye Masooleh – completed in 2024. Negar’s doctoral research focused on sexual violence perpetrated against migrants and how this affects their well-being

Dr Elizabeth Deehan – completed in 2023. Liz’s doctoral research investigated the nature and correlates of somnophilia (sexual interest in sleeping people)

Dr Greg Westerman-Hughes – completed 2022. Greg’s doctoral research focused on addiction, specifically behavioral addictions. His PhD research examined gaming addiction.

Dr Charlotte Wesson – completed 2021. Charlotte’s doctoral research focused on human sexuality, including deviant sexual interest, and the methods used to study this.

Dr Rachel Orritt – completed 2016. Rachel’s doctoral research focused on dog aggression and dog bite prevention.

Dr Craig Harper – completed 2016. Craig’s PhD research focused on examining the psychological mechanisms that underpin public views and attitudes about sexual offenders.

Dr Iain Reid – completed 2015. Iain’s doctoral research focused on developing a holistic, proactive, and dynamic model of online communication. Related interests included discourses of terrorism and surveillance measures.

Dr Charlotte Hall – completed 2011. Charlotte’s PhD investigated the use of gaze patterns (via eye-tracking technology) as a measure of detecting sexual preference in forensic populations.