Dr Lisa O'Malley

Profile

Academic biography

I have previously worked as a researcher in the Centre for Housing Policy (2002-2005) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (2001-2002). I have published on the subjects of housing support; scoping study methods and urban regeneration among others and undertaken research across a variety of issues, most recently projects exploring homelessness among military veterans. I have served as a member of the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) Research Centre Advisory Group.

My teaching interests are centred around criminal justice issues, including gender based violence and social harm. 

Areas of Expertise

• Scoping study methods
• Veteran and military welfare
• Social harm and victimisation
• Policing and criminal justice
• Voluntary and community sector

I have supervised doctoral students in the following areas:

• Policy transfer in the field of criminal justice (Laura Bainbridge)
• Youth justice (Sarah Brooks Wilson)
• Homelessness and criminality (Fiorella Ciapessoni Capandeguy)

Research

My early research explored the relationship between ‘place’ and urban renewal with a specific focus on the role that the community and voluntary sector play in supporting social policy objectives in local communities. My current interests are located around the interplay between social policy, crime and social harm and how inter-disciplinary approaches can be used to explore and explain aspects of inequality across these arenas.

I also have a specific interest in military welfare as an under-explored issue in social policy research, and the role that housing plays in generating experiences of disadvantage among the veteran community.

Teaching

I co-convene and teach on the undergraduate Level 1 module ‘Introducing Criminal Justice’ and the Level 2 module ‘Social Research Methods’. I also convene a level 3 module 'Gender, Violence and Justice'.

The focus of my teaching is on bringing social issues to life through the application of core theoretical understanding to contemporary social problems. I am concerned with developing students’ ability to question the world around them in an informed way – knowing how to use knowledge and evidence to support decision making and improve processes. Lots of my teaching involves the use of case studies and vignettes to encourage students to apply their learning to the real world.