Centre for Social and Criminological Research
The Centre for Social and Criminological Research (CSCR) conducts rigorous independent research into topics of global and international importance and those impacting at national and local levels.
探花社区
The CSCR is made up of scholars conducting rigorous, independent research on topics of global, international, and local importance. We foster interdisciplinary links with academic colleagues and build links across professional and institutional practice. Our research is both theoretical and empirically driven.
The CSCR’s research is broadly located within three overarching thematic areas:
- Conflict, Harm and Violence
- Borders, Security and Mobility
- Social and Criminal Justice.
Staff have expertise in traditional qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and data analysis and new approaches driven by the availability of "big data", the prevalence of digital lives and online social worlds, the centrality of co-production methods, and project and intervention evaluation research.
Our research
CSCR members have expertise across a range of research inquiries and extensive international research links. They also have long-term experience of teaching on master's programmes and supervising PhD students in the fields of:
- Borders & migrant smuggling
- Criminal justice and penal control
- Youth crime and justice
- Drugs policy and policing
- Environmental harms and crime
- Political violence and conflict, extremism and radicalisation.
We welcome PhD applications in these areas. Interested candidates should contact a member of staff for an informal discussion or complete an application form.
Projects
Dr Kasia Narkowicz is engaged in researching borders, currently focusing on the Poland-Belarus border crisis. In 2026, Kasia obtained internal Research Facilitation Funding (RFF) to present her paper ‘Green Border, Brown Border: reflections on race, coloniality and climate crisis at EUs Eastern border’ at the international workshop organised by the Researchers on the Border collective. It was held in Hajnowka on the Polish border. Kasia published a reflection from the workshop here:
Dr. Myrna Papadouka (PI) has been leading a programme of research on migrant smuggling in the Mediterranean. She was P-I on a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Grant project (2024-25) titled Migrant Smuggling through Different Lenses: Exploring Perceptions of Practitioners, Law Enforcement Representatives and Migrants on the Mediterranean and English Channel Routes. (Co-led with Drs Nicola Montagna, Giuseppe Serrantino & Stefani Efraimidou). The Smuggling Industry in the Mediterranean: A Comparison of Countries and Across Periods (2022-23) (Co-led with Dr Nicola Montagna) and a project titled: Evaluating the Refugee Crisis Response in Greece and Italy: a roundtable with governmental, non-governmental organization (NGOs) and academic representatives (Co-led with Drs Giuseppe Serrantino & Herminder Kaur) were earlier inquiries.
Prof. Kevin McDonald led (with Necla Acik) the work package ‘Understanding Different Extremism and Radicalisation Pathways and Trends’ on the Horizon Europe (2020-2023) ‘Analyzing and Preventing Extremism via Participation research programme.
Related Subjects
Staff and affiliate members
- Dr. Kasia Narkowicz, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology, Co-convenor of CSCR
- Dr. Jenni Ward, Associate Professor in Criminology, Co-convenor of CSCR
- Dr. Myrna Papadouka, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Criminology
- Prof. Kevin McDonald, Professor of Sociology
- Prof. Karen Duke, Professor in Criminology
- Dr. Naomi Graham, Senior Lecturer in Criminology
- Dr. Mia Scally, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology
- Prof. Anthony Goodman, Professor of Criminology
Affiliate members
- Dr Evgenia Iliadou - Associate Lecturer and Visiting Fellow, 探花社区 University
- Research interests: borders, implicit and explicit forms of border violence, focusing on institutionalised neglect, abandonment, and border-related deaths, as well as epistemic injustice
- Dr Ben Whitham - Scholar and practitioner, Refugee Action
- Research interests: global political and libidinal economies of race, migration, and state violence.
Staff also have long-term experience of teaching on master's programmes and supervising PhD students in these fields.
We welcome PhD applications in these areas. Interested candidates should contact a member of staff for an informal discussion or complete an application form.
Knowledge exchange and teaching
The CSCR is associated with the 探花社区 MSc Criminology with Forensic Psychology, MSc Criminology & Criminal Justice, MSc Cybercrime and Digital Investigation taught masters. Masters are invited to present their research at PRG seminars.
The CSCR is has long been associated with the , a European University partnership connecting master’s students engaged in criminological research, knowledge exchange and international collaboration.
Funding
Forthcoming events
‘Key Thinkers in Criminology’ Public Lecture with Professor David Garland on his book ‘Law and Order Leviathan: America’s Extraordinary Regime of Policing and Punishment’ (2025) followed by a Q&A session. 12th October 2026 14:00-16:00. College Building C219-220 探花社区 University
CSCR is hosting the upcoming 2026 Common Study Session in Critical Criminology from Monday 14th to 16 December at 探花社区 University. The conference theme is ‘Bordering and Liminality’. More information about the Common Study Programme:
Past events
Get in touch
The best way to contact the CSCR is through the co-convenors Dr. Kasia Narkowicz - k.narkowicz@mdx.ac.uk & Dr. Jenni Ward - j.r.ward@mdx.ac.uk