Information on our staff, research students and how to join us.

Our research staff have a wide range of expertise in criminal law. Please get in touch with the individual academic to find out more about opportunities for postgraduate research in their area of expertise. 

Professor James Chalmers  

                                                        

  • Regius Professor of Law  

Professor Chalmers' research is primarily in the area of criminal law, evidence and procedure. His published books include Gordon’s Criminal Law of Scotland, 4th edn (two volumes, 2017 and 2023, with Fiona Leverick), Walker and Walker: The Law of Evidence in Scotland (most recently, the 5th edn, 2020, with Margaret Ross and Isla Callander), The New Law of Sexual Offences in Scotland (2010), Legal Responses to HIV and AIDS (2008), Criminal Defences and Pleas in Bar of Trial (2006, with Fiona Leverick) and Trusts: Cases and Materials (2002). He has published over 100 book chapters and articles in a wide range of journals. 

 

Professor Lindsay Farmer 

    

  • Professor of Law  

Criminal law and legal theory; History of criminal law (post-1800); Development of theories of responsibility (post-1800); Development of the criminal trial and its relation to substantive law; Theories of the criminal trial; Law and social theory. 

 

Dr Jay Gormley                                                                        

                                              

  • ECR Fellow in Criminal Law and Evidence  

Jay has published numerous articles and book chapters on the topic of sentencing and his work has also been used to evaluate critical aspects of sentencing, data, and case proceedings. He is an experienced empirical researcher who has collaborated with guideline-creating bodies and critical policy influencers across multiple jurisdictions. He was appointed as a Member of the Scottish Sentencing Council by the Scottish Ministers in 2025 and Chair of the Council, Lord Beckett, the Lord Justice Clerk, said, “his extensive knowledge and research in criminal justice and sentencing will greatly benefit the Council’s work”. Jay is also an Adviser to the Sentencing Academy, an organisation dedicated to developing expert understanding of sentencing and informing public debate.  

 

Mr Eamon Keane 

 

  • Lecturer in Evidence and Criminal Procedure  

Mr Keane's research interests lie primarily in evidence and procedure, namely the theoretical development and practical application of the Scots law of criminal evidence. His work has a clear empirical focus and he has been involved in large scale externally funded projects examining the law in practice, including court observation work and stakeholder interviews.  

 

Dr Christine Kelly 

 

  • Honorary Research Fellow 

 

Dr Louise Kennefick 

 

  • Senior Lecturer in Criminal Law 

Dr Kennefick’s research concerns criminal law, criminal law theory, and criminal justice. She is particularly interested in themes relating to responsibility attribution, agency, excuse, and the interaction between social justice and criminal law and justice.  Her work in the field of criminology focuses on histories of probation, community supervision, and desistance from crime. 

 

Professor Fiona Leverick 

 

  • Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice 

Summary of research interests 

Professor Leverick is interested in all aspects of criminal law, criminal justice, criminal evidence and criminal procedure. Especially interested in the prosecution of sexual offences, jury decision making and the prevention of wrongful conviction. 

 

Professor Claire McDiarmid 

 

  • Professor of Criminal Law and Children's Rights, Head of School, Law (School of Law) 
  • Claire.McDiarmid@glasgow.ac.uk  

Professor McDiarmid is interested in criminal law generally (in particular Scots Criminal Law); children who offend – especially the way in which law and the legal system responds; the child’s criminal capacity; the age of criminal responsibility; the Scottish children’s hearings system; the concept of childhood and crime; and the law of homicide. 

 

Dr Rachel McPherson 

 

  • Senior Lecturer  

Summary of research interests 

Dr McPherson is interested in socio-legal, feminist research; legal responses to domestic abuse with particular interest in domestic homicide. 

 

Dr Micheal O'Flynn 

 

  • Senior Lecturer 

Summary of research interests 

Dr Ó Floinn’s research interests span criminal law, criminal justice, evidence, cybercrime, jurisdiction, transnational criminal law, and cyber security law. 

 

 

PGR students 

We have an active community of research students working (towards either PhD or LLM by research degrees) on projects in the area of criminal law and criminal justice, including the candidates listed below. We regularly supervise practising lawyers interested in post-graduate study. Further down this page, you can find useful information about enquiring to study for a research degree in this area at Glasgow. 

 

Applying to study for a research degree in criminal law and criminal justice at Glasgow: making initial enquiries 

We are frequently contacted by students who are interested in applying to study for a research degree in criminal law and criminal justice at Glasgow and want to discuss this before making a formal application. Here are some details on what we can offer by way of supervision, and what information we need from you to advise you properly.  

What topics can you supervise? 

We can supervise research projects in a broad range of areas spanning criminal law and criminal justice, evidence and procedure. This includes projects which take theoretical, doctrinal and comparative approaches. Cross-supervision with another academic area (within or outside of the School of Law) is possible in appropriate cases. We cannot generally supervise projects which have as their primary focus a jurisdiction outside of the United Kingdom.  

Who should I direct my enquiry to?

 Any of our academic staff would be happy to deal with an inquiry – please direct your email to the academic whose research interests you feel match your project most closely. They will consult with other colleagues in the area as appropriate before replying to you, so please do not send separate emails to multiple academics – there is no need to do (or benefit in doing) this. 

What information do you need? 

At the stage of an initial enquiry, we do not need a full research proposal – although if you do have one already written we would be interested to see it. We need an indication of your intended topic and the reasons why you think Glasgow might be an appropriate place to pursue your studies. Neither needs to be particularly detailed at the stage of an informal enquiry. We can advise on refining a potential topic in order to prepare a strong application, but we cannot advise on what your topic should be – that is a matter for you. 

In addition, we also need some indication of your prior academic record and experience. No matter how strong your research proposal, a successful application for admission to a research degree requires a very strong academic record at undergraduate and (if appropriate) masters level. Because of this, we cannot advise you properly unless you give us an indication of your grades to date (either an overall degree grade, classification, or full transcript). 

What funding is available to study for a PhD at Glasgow? 

You can find information about this at  https://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/socialsciences/studentfundingopportunities/. We do not have funded places available to offer directly: funding must instead be obtained through a competitive application scheme, either to one of the sources listed here or to an external funder. We are happy to support the development of funding applications. As with admission, success in such applications depends both on your proposal and your record to date: a very strong academic record is usually essential. Funding applications normally have to be made well in advance of the start of your studies. Some schemes have closing dates as early as November or December for studies starting the following September. 

What funding is available to study for an LLM by research at Glasgow? 

There are no internal schemes offering funding for the LLM by research degree, although applicants pursuing research in Scots law have often been successful in obtaining support for tuition fees from the Clark Foundation for Legal Education. 

How do I make a formal application for admission? 

Please see https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/law/postgraduateresearch/, where you can also find more general information about the School’s research degree programmes.