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Current Research Students
The School of Law has a lively community of postgraduate students undertaking research in a wide variety of legal fields.
| Ciara Brennan |
LLB (Queens University, Belfast)
MSc Leadership for Sustainable Development (Queens University Belfast)
After completing her LLB in 2005, Ciara graduated with distinction from her MSc in Leadership for Sustainable Development. Combining her undergraduate interests in law, and her postgraduate experience in sustainable development, Ciara began her doctoral studies in 2007 in the broad field of environmental law. Her particular focus is on the handling of environmental crime in Northern Ireland.
| Mark Brunger |
BSc (Hons) Social Science with Sociology & Economics (2003)
MSc Social Research Methods (2006) (The Open University)
Post Graduate Diploma in Criminology (Queen’s University, Belfast)
Mark started his doctoral studies in 2006, his research surrounds the ongoing dynamics of police reform. His work involves a comparative analysis of the police reform paradigms in Northern Ireland and England & Wales, with a focus towards issues of accountability. Mark also has an interest in Social research methods, in particular the application of ethnographic methods.
| Gerard Conway |
BA - in Law & European Studies, University of Limerick (1998)
BL – Barrister-at-Law, King's Inns (2000)
'Juris magister examen' – Master of International and Comparative Law, University of Uppsala (2001)
Gerard started doctoral studies at Queen's in September 2005. After graduating with a Master's degree in 2001, he completed a six-month traineeship in the Legal Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs, followed by a period as a judicial researcher in the Judges' Library in the Four Courts in Dublin. Following this and before commencing study in Queen's, he worked for nearly three years as a legal researcher in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Dublin. His doctoral research project examines the scope and limits of the judicial interpretive power, with reference to constitutional review. It will take the European Court of Justice as a case study. Research based on his master's thesis on ‘ Ne Bis in Idem in international law' was published in the International Criminal Law Review and Criminal Law Forum . Gerard also has had articles published in the European Journal of International Law (on international responsibility of member states for breaches of EC LAW), Irish Criminal Law Journal (on fitness to plead), and European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice (on judicial interpretation under the Third Pillar of the EU). He is Lecturer in Public Law at Brunel Law School, Brunel University, London.
| Darren Dinsmore |
LLB Law & Government, University of Ulster 2002
LLM in Human Rights Law, Queens University Belfast 2005
During the Masters programme, Darren became interested in the Turkish state of emergency and anti-terror laws and the resulting record of human rights violations under the ECHR. Having set up the 'thris' website on the QUB Human Rights Centre web-page (consisting of materials submitted as part of his dissertation), he decided to pursue the field of regional protection of human rights to PhD level and is currently in first year. Darren is conducting research on the work of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Turkish compliance with judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the provision of effective domestic remedies in post-conflict Turkey.
| Laura Donnellan |
LLB (University of Limerick)
LLM (University of Limerick)
Having graduated from her LLM in 2002, Laura Donnellan began teaching at the University of Limerick. Laura lectures in European Law and Sport and the Law. She is also Course Director for Law and European Studies at the University of Limerick. Laura has published in the areas Drug Testing and the Rights of Athletes, Elder Law, The Regulation of Football Agents, EC Competition Law and Animal Welfare in the EU. Her PhD is combining her interests in Sport and the Law and Animal Welfare by examining the Regulation of Animal Cruelty in Sport.
| Marian Duggan |
MA Criminology, Rights and Justice (Lancaster University) 2005
BA (Hons) Criminology and Criminal Justice (University of Central Lancashire) 2003
Marian began her doctoral studies at Queen's University in 2005. Her research investigates homophobia and violence in Northern Ireland in the wake of the ongoing peace process. Drawing on her background of feminist and critical criminological analysis, she examines the impact that Northern Ireland's socio-political history has had on lesbians' and gay men's experiences of social, political and religious homophobia. The empirical element of her research employs documentary analyses and life-history interviews in an attempt to both locate lesbians and gay men in Northern Ireland's recent history and account for their so-called 'acceptable victims' status.
Marian also tutors on the 'Crime and the Criminal Process', 'Constitutional Law in Context' and 'Criminal Law' LLB modules in the School of Law, and on the 'Introduction to Criminology' module in the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work.
| Neil Graffin |
Neil graduated from Queen's University in Law and Politics in 2005 and continued his research at Queen's by undertaking a Masters in Human Rights and Criminal Justice. Neil’s interests include examining methods used in extracting confessions from suspected terrorists. Neil is particularly interested in examining how agents of the state use torture or cruel and inhuman or degrading treatment as a means to gather evidence during the current “War on Terror.”
| Roisin Devlin |
LLB First Class (Single Honours) Queen's University Belfast 2002
LLM (Human Rights and Criminal Justice) Queen's University Belfast 2003
CPLS (Certificate in Professional Legal Studies) Queen's University Belfast 2004
Roisin completed her Masters degree in September 2003 and was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in September 2004. She holds a particular interest in the promotion of rights for children and young people. In the past she has worked as a volunteer for the Children's Law Centre (NI) and as an independent advocate for the organisation Voice of Young People in Care. In September 2004 she enrolled to study for a PhD. Through her research Roisin hopes to explore the extent to which the rights of children and young people are promoted within the formal and informal youth justice processes existing in Northern Ireland.
| Barbara Henry |
BA Single Honours History, Trinity College Dublin (2002)
MA European Studies, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (2003)
MA British History, Queen’s University Belfast (2005)
Masters in Legal Science, Queen’s University Belfast (2008)
Barbara started her doctoral studies in September 2008. Her research is in the area of legal history and she aims to consider the relationship between the British courts and the Parliament during the mid 19th century through an examination of patent legislation and case law.
| Robin Hickey |
BA (Law) University College, Oxford
Robin graduated from the University of Oxford in 2001, and in September of that year began his doctoral studies at Queens. His main research interest is in the law of personal property, specifically the acquisition of title to goods by operation of law.
| Ciara Hackett |
LLB (Hons) Queens University Belfast 2005
LLM Corporate Governance and Public Policy, Queens University Belfast 2006
Ciara began her doctoral studies in 2006 in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility in Ireland. Her current area of interest is the manner in which Ireland can be assessed through the critical theoretical approach of dependency and how this has implications on her autonomy in dictating the manner in which CSR policies are implemented by MNC’s operating within her borders.
| Joan Jeffrey |
Joan studied education and English at Stranmillis College and received a BEd in 1980 from Queen's. She then worked but studied part-time at the Open University and was awarded an LLB(Hons) First Class in 2003. After that she took time out from her job to study full-time at Queen's and in 2005 she graduated with an LLM in Human Rights and Criminal Justice. Her Masters dissertation examined the rights of victims in rape trials in the light of international human rights instruments. Since September 2006 Joan has been conducting research on a part-time basis for her PhD. Her thesis is looking at how international human rights standards are influencing the way in which the police use their potentially lethal weapons.
| Jonathan Kearney |
BA (Hons) Public Policy and Management (University of Ulster)
LLM Human Rights (The Queen's University of Belfast)
Jonathan began his Doctoral research in 2003 and is seeking to combine his studies with a very busy career. His research focuses on International Policing Missions, with the ultimate aim being to define the theory and practice of international policing in states of transition. He is currently participating on a European Working Group examining 'Human Rights, Peace and Security in EU Foreign Policy' with particular emphasis on peacekeeping and enforcement in order to protect human rights.
| Paula Kenny |
BA (Hons) Sociology & Politics, University College Dublin
MSoc.Sc (Sociology), University College Dublin.
Paula graduated with her BA in December 2002 and enrolled to do her Masters in September 2002. She graduated in April 2004. For her Masters dissertation she investigated the implemetation and administration of Restorative Justice Initiatives in Ireland. Paula commenced her doctoral studies in September 2004. Her research interests included restorative justice, juvenile crime and the sociology of law. She is hoping to conduct a comparative study of police based restorative justice initiatives in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland.
| Nicola Kerr |
Bsc (Hons) Applied Psychology (University of Ulster)
Msc Applied Psychology (University of Ulster)
Prior to registering for a PhD in 2002, Nicola has worked as a Policy Officer and Research Assistant on a number of projects involving children and young people, at QUB and within the voluntary sector. She is currently researching the experiences of vulnerable witnesses in the criminal justice system.
| Smita Kheria |
LLB Hons. ( University of Buckingham, UK )
LLM ( University of Cambridge, UK )
Smita completed her graduation in law in 2002 and went on to obtain an LLM degree in Commercial Law from University of Cambridge. Thereafter she was called to the bar in India and she practised in the High Court at Calcutta in Corporate and Commercial Law. She is undertaking a PhD in Intellectual Property Law and is examining authors rights under copyright legislation in the digital environment.
| Cheryl Lawther |
BA Hons Politics, Queens University Belfast 2006
MSSc Criminology, Queens University Belfast 2007
Cheryl Lawther graduated in 2007 from Queens with a Masters degree in criminology. Following her growing interest in transitional justice she commenced her doctoral studies in 2007. Her research focuses on the oppositional discourses to truth recovery in Northern Ireland presented by unionists, loyalists and the security forces. As such it combines her interests from both her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
| Marie Lynch |
Marie graduated from Queen's University and continued her research at Queen's by undertaking a Masters in Human Rights Law. Her main research is now centred on the judiciary in transitional jurisdictions such as Northern Ireland and South Africa. She is currently focusing on areas such as judicial ethics, appointments and training.
| Yassin M'Boge |
LLB (Honours) Law, University of Warwick 2003
LLM (International Criminal Justice and Armed Conflict), University of Nottingham 2004
Yassin began her doctoral studies at Queen's University in January 2006 after completing an internship in the Legal Advisory Section of the Registry at the International Criminal Court based in the Hague in 2005. Her research investigates the relationship between the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Security Council. Her main areas of interest are international law, international criminal law, transitional justice and penal law. Since commencing her PhD, Yassin has taught on the Public International Law course.
| Julie McBride |
BCL (Law with French Law) University College Dublin
LLM (International Law) Trinity College Dublin
Julie graduated from UCD in 2005 and went on to study for her LLM in Trinity College Dublin, where her studies focused on Human Rights and Reform of the United Nations. Her PhD research examines the effectiveness of the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and the progress made since Graca Machal's landmark report on this issue in 1998. Julie's studies will particularly focus on case-studies of Colombia, Turkey, Uganda, Iran and Sri Lanka.
| Sean McCabe |
LLB (Hons) Law and Business, University of Ulster (2002)
Sean graduated from the University of Ulster (Magee) in June 2002 and began his part-time doctoral law research at Queen's in September 2006. He is particularly interested in the role of judges in developing the constitutions of post-conflict societies. His thesis will concentrate on the role of the senior judges (both in Northern Ireland and in the House of Lords) in helping to facilitate peace-building in Northern Ireland since the signing of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in 1998.
| Claire McCann |
LLB (Ling. Franc.) Law and French (Trinity College Dublin) 2001
MSc Equality Studies (University College Dublin) 2004
Claire commenced her doctoral studies in October 2006. Her research consists of an examination of the ability of courts and the judiciary to effect social change when issues relating to economic and social rights arise before them. The particular focus of her research centres on an examination of the human right to water as set out in General Comment 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and how this interacts with the justiciability of this right in domestic legal systems.
Claire completed her LLB in Law and French in 2001 and her Masters in Equality studies in 2004. In 2005 she spent six months as a visiting scholar at the University of Cape Town where she studied South African Human Rights Law. Prior to commencing her PhD she worked in the Irish Human Rights Commission. Her broader research interests relate to human rights and equality more generally.
Alanna McGarry |
LLB Law and Government (University of Ulster) 2002
LLM Human Rights Law (Queen's University Belfast) 2005
After completing her LLB at the University of Ulster, Alanna's keen interest in human rights led her down the path of a Masters degree at Queen's University. She holds a particular interest in the areas of equality, discrimination, women's rights and sexuality and the law. However it was through her LLM studies that Alanna discovered her new found passion for children's rights.
Alanna began her doctoral studies in December 2004. Her PhD research will critically evaluate the impact of the role of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People. This research project intends to decipher whether NICCY will be considered as a "Paper Champion or a Children's Champion?". Alanna believes that much can be achieved at a grassroots level to enhance and promote children's rights. She continues to volunteer for the Children's Law Centre and fundraise for children's charities including Express Aid International and Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.
Victoria McMullan |
LLB (Hons) Queens University Belfast
Victoria graduated from Queens in 2007 with a law degree. As a result of an interest in Family, Inheritance and Land law she decided to undertake postgraduate research and began her MPhil in September 2007. This research is focused on the impact of death and divorce on farmer’s wives in Northern Ireland.
| Fiona O'Connell |
Degrees : LLB (single honours) Law (Queen's University Belfast)
Prior to starting her studies in the School of Law, Fiona worked as a Registered General Nurse in both the Health Service and Private Sector, with a particular interest in trauma care. Fiona graduated from the School of Law at Queens University Belfast in July 2003 and she commenced her doctoral studies at Queens in October 2003 in the area of victimology and the provision of services to victims in post Conflict Northern Ireland.
| Brian Payne |
BSc Psychology single honours (Queens University Belfast).
MSSc Criminology (Queens University Belfast).
Brian’s research concerns the emerging partnership between community based restorative justice and the statutory criminal justice system. Of particular interest are the contrasting challenges that both organisations face, both externally and internally, as they seek to remedy the issues that remain in transitional Catholic/Nationalist communities.
| Louise Rhodes |
LLB (Single Honours) Law QUB 2007
The mortgage repossession crisis
Louise Graduated from Queen’s in July 2007 and began her Phd studies in 2008. Her research focuses primarily on the functioning of the law of mortgages in the current ‘credit crunch’ dilemma. In addition, by drawing comparisons between the situation in other Commonwealth countries, notably Australia and Canada, she will question what necessary action the UK Courts need to take in order to effectively balance the interests of Mortgagors and Mortgagees in the present economic climate.
Lisa White |
BA (First Class Hons) Criminology, University of Lincoln, England
LLM in Human Rights Law, QUB
Lisa’s interests include state power and violence, human rights, masculinities, mental ‘health’ and critical conceptions of justice. Her PhD entitled ‘Contested Narratives and Subjugated Knowledges: Truth Sharing by Survivors of State Brutality’ aims to analyse the motivations, meanings and consequences of making private memories part of public history.
The study seeks to understand why many of those detained as a result of the conflict in and around Northern Ireland have ‘gone public’ about state brutality experienced in detention. The research seeks to explore the significance of such accounts in wider discussions of truth, healing and victimisation.
In the past, Lisa has also worked for Amnesty International in a voluntary capacity, and also assisted with the delivery of ‘Crime and Criminal Justice’ Modules at the University of Ulster, and ‘Criminology’ at Queen’s University. In 2008, Lisa was granted a Criminology Lectureship at the University of Lincoln.
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LLB (Queens University, Belfast)
MSc Leadership for Sustainable Development (Queens University Belfast)
After completing her LLB in 2005, Ciara graduated with distinction from her MSc in Leadership for Sustainable Development. Combining her undergraduate interests in law, and her postgraduate experience in sustainable development, Ciara began her doctoral studies in 2007 in the broad field of environmental law. Her particular focus is on the handling of environmental crime in Northern Ireland.