Dr. Helm is an Associate Professor at the University of Exeter Law School and a UKRI future leaders fellow. She is an expert in the field of psychology and law, and using quantitative methodology to examine the legal system. Her research examines how legal procedures work in practice, and how changing aspects of procedure can enhance the ability of the justice system to achieve normative goals. This research includes examining when and why defendants in the criminal justice system admit guilt, how juries function when making legal decisions, and how legislation can be designed to maximise desired outcomes in fields of public health and human rights. Dr Helm is interested in increasing the availability of data relating to the law to practitioners, and maximising the extent to which data and psychological science can be used to answer important legal questions.

Damilola is a Social Psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Exeter Law School. His doctoral research at the University of Exeter Psychology Department investigated the roles of historical representations of African people and appraisals of African history in intergroup relations between Africans and non-Africans, using triangulation of qualitative and quantitative approaches. In broad terms, his research focuses on the development of psychological theory and its application to tackling human and social related problems facing disadvantaged/minority groups which include investigating topics like collective history/historical representations, social identity processes, identity management strategies, collective political action and social change, intergroup relations, emotions, and prejudice reduction. Here at the Evidenced-Based Justice Lab, he will be investigating the causes of the BAME attainment/awarding gap in legal professional service qualification – a project funded by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Emily is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter Law School. She recently joined the University of Exeter after completing her PhD in Psychology at the University of Warwick. Broadly, she is interested in episodic and autobiographical memory, metamemory, and the application of theoretical models to applied settings, particularly the legal system. Her doctoral research investigated the relationship between the accuracy of witnesses’ reports about crime details and their confidence in those reports. At the Evidence-Based Justice Lab, Emily is investigating how people make judgements about the memory of others and how these judgements differ from metamemory judgements about one’s own memory performance.

David practiced law for about 30 years, almost exclusively in criminal law, before joining the University of Exeter to spend time undertaking research. He is interested in the law relating to criminal evidence and criminal procedure, with an emphasis on the impact that recent legislative changes have had on the criminal justice system, including police investigations and court proceedings.

Suzi is a current MRes student in the law school, and is funded by a South West Doctoral Training Partnership studentship. She is interested in using empirical and socio-legal methodology to examine vulnerability in the criminal justice system and criminal justice profession, and to reduce the negative consequences of vulnerability.

Maddy has recently completed her MRes in Psychology at the University of Bath, having graduated from the University of Exeter in 2015 with a first-class BSc in Psychology. Her interests lie in understanding biases in cognition, more specifically, uncovering the processes involved in sub-optimal decision making.  Maddy’s previous research has focussed on the extent of Psychological Essentialism and System Justification in the political sphere during times of threat, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Having worked as a Legal Assistant, Maddy is keen to apply her knowledge of Cognitive Psychology to the evaluation of evidence in miscarriages of justice.

Maureen has a broad experience of administrator roles, including three years in New Zealand at the Wellcome Medical Research Institute, University of Otago. She has a BA in English and Italian, and has volunteered with the RSPB for the last twenty years. She has been, and still is, instrumental in keeping a local community-owned and volunteer run village pub afloat – pre and post Covid (the administration that is!).

Poppy joined the University of Exeter after four years of running her own business. Prior to that, she spent ten years working in various senior operational and strategic roles within the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, building on experience working across the civil service with a particular specialism in the justice system. In 2016 she completed a Professional Doctorate at the Applied Social Research Institute (University of Bedfordshire), having completed research looking at issues surrounding assessments of self-harm and suicide risk for boys entering youth custody.