Our Team

Dr. Helm is a Senior Lecturer and Clinic Solicitor 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.

Dr. Growns has a Bachelor in Psychology (Hons.) from the UNSW Sydney in Australia in 2014, and a Masters in Forensic Psychology and Ph.D. from UNSW Sydney in 2019. Before starting at Exeter, she was a Postdoctoral Scholar funded by the National Science Foundation at Arizona State University from 2019 to 2021, and she is also a registered psychologist in Australia (PSY0001961851). Her research focuses on the psychological mechanisms that underlie forensic science expertise, such as fingerprint or document examiners. She is a collaborating member of the Evidence-Based Forensics Initiative and the Future of Forensic Science Initiative,  and she has published peer-reviewed publications in leading cognitive and applied psychology and law journals.

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.

Becky has lived, studied and worked in different higher education settings around the world. She speaks fluent Portuguese and holds a Masters degree in Japanese, and is currently working on her PhD in Cultural Studies. Becky has worked as a project coordinator on various research projects led by academics at the University of Exeter. She has extensive experience of working collaboratively with different stakeholders to ensure effective working relationships among diverse communities and very much enjoys the responsibilities and rewards of her role.

Maggie is a Socio-Legal MRes student, having recently graduated from Exeter with a First-Class Law LLB. Her research interests are primarily focused on sex work, sex-trafficking, and feminist critique which translates into a broader interest in the criminal justice system and how this reproduces conditions of vulnerability.

Ellie has recently completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Exeter. Throughout this undergraduate degree she realised she had a real passion for research and data analysis. She decided to further her knowledge in data analysis by continuing her studies to complete a masters in applied social data science. She hopes to be able to combine what she has learnt on both her undergraduate and masters courses to pursue a career within research or data analysis.

Beth has recently graduated from an undergraduate degree in Criminology and is now studying a master degree Social Data Science, with a particular focus on the penal system. She is interested in criminal justice policy, with particular focus on penal policies, evidence-based policing and terrorism studies. She is also interested in multi-disciplinary perspectives, such as the combination of political and psychological theories behind racism.