Dr Susan Batchelor
- Senior Lecturer (Sociological & Cultural Studies)
telephone:
01413306167
email:
Susan.Batchelor@glasgow.ac.uk
SCCJR, Ivy Lodge, 63 Gibson Street, Glasgow, Scotland, G12 8LR
Biography
I am a Senior Lecturer with over 25 years' experience, specialising in qualitative, feminist, and critical criminological approaches. My research examines the intersections of gender, generation, culture, and crime, with a particular focus on young women and violence. I have a sustained interest in how structural inequalities, cultural narratives, and everyday practices shape experiences of harm and in/justice.
I have a strong record of applied, policy-relevant research and collaboration with public and third-sector organisations. I led a major Scottish Government–funded study of Repeat Violent Victimisation in Scotland and am currently developing related research on community responses to violence.
My teaching practice is grounded in inclusive, research-led approaches, with extensive experience in curriculum design, programme leadership, and supervision at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I am a member of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) and contribute to Girlhood Gang, a collective of feminist social scientists exploring the experiences and identities of young women and girls.
Prior to my current appointment, I was Lecturer in Criminology in the Department of Sociology at the University of Glasgow (2005–2011), and Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice in the Law School at the University of Strathclyde (2004–2005). Earlier in my career, I held research posts at The Scottish Office, Brunel University, and the University of Glasgow.
Research groups
Research interests
From 2019 to 2023, I led a major Scottish Government–funded qualitative study, Repeat Violence in Scotland, alongside Caitlin Gormley. Using a qualitative approach, we explored the lived experiences of people repeatedly affected by violence, alongside perspectives from statutory and third-sector stakeholders. This research demonstrates that repeat violence is shaped by multiple, interacting factors: structural marginalisation, including poverty, housing insecurity, and limited access to services, which constrain life opportunities; institutional responses, such as policing and victim support practices, which can either mitigate or exacerbate harm; community expectations, which influence informal conflict resolution and help-seeking; and gendered norms, which shape experiences of violence, victimisation, and offending across the life course.
This work builds directly on my long-term research on young women and violence, which examines both experiences of victimisation and engagement in offending. By linking insights on agency with the dynamics of repeat victimisation and embedding these in a gendered context, my research interrogates how structural, institutional, and cultural factors interact to shape exposure to harm, capacities for resistance, and whose experiences are heard, ignored, or deemed legitimate. Together, these strands illuminate the cumulative, relational, and socially constructed nature of violence, providing a nuanced foundation for community-informed and context-sensitive approaches to prevention and support.
Research groups
Grants
- Research project: 'Hidden voices: how women convicted of killing their intimate partners experience the Scottish criminal justice system', April 2022 to September 2023 (British Academy/Leverhulme: £10,000) - with Rachel McPherson.
- Research project: 'Understanding Repeat Violent Victimisation in Scotland – a Qualitative Approach', October 2019 to March 2020, April 2022 to March 2023 (The Scottish Government: £109,998) - as principal investigator, with Caitlin Gormley.
- Pilot project: 'Working with girls and young women in community settings', June to August 2019 (Sociology Research Incentivisation Grant: £650) - as principal investigator, with Amanda Ptomoley and Hannah Walters.
- Literature review: 'Taking Stock of Violence in Scotland', October 2018 to March 2019 (Scottish Government: £9,850) - as principal investigator, with Sarah Armstrong and Donna MacLellan.
- Research Project: 'Gang Identity in Drumchapel' (Sociology Research Incentivisation Grant: £1,700) - as principal investigator.
- CPD Training: 'Research with Children and Young People', February 2014 to April 2014 (Sociology Research Incentivisation Grant: £900)
- Research project: '(Re)Imagining Youth: A Comparative Sociology of Youth Leisure in Scotland and Hong Kong', September 2013 to August 2015 (Economic and Social Research Council: £99,983) - as principal investigator, with Alistair Fraser.
- Research project: 'Evaluation of Up-to-us Young Women's Project', April 2010 to March 2011 (Up-to-us: £38,000) - as principal investigator, with Michele Burman.
- Pilot project: 'Narratives of Glasgow: Oral histories of gangs in 1960s Easterhouse', April to November 2010 (ASRF: £1,200) – with Angela Bartie and Alistair Fraser.
- Pilot project: ‘Visual methods: Exploring young people’s use of public space in Royston', April to November 2010 (ASRF: £1,995) – with Jon Pickering.
- Literature review: 'Youth violence in Scotland' (Scottish Government) – with Michele Burman and Alistair Fraser.
- Seminar series: 'Confronting Danger, Feeling Fear: Gender and emotions in research fieldwork', June to September 2009 (ASRF £1, 283) - with Michele Burman and Mo Hume.
- Research project: 'Youth Gangs and Knife Carrying in Scotland', July 2008 to October 2009: (Scottish Government: £155,266) - with Michele Burman, Jon Bannister, Keith Kintrea, Susan McVie and Jon Pickering. Jon Bannister and Prof. Burman drafted this proposal and managed the award.
- Research project: 'Alcohol and Domestic Abuse in Inverclyde', August-November 2007 (Inverclyde Council: £15,374) - as principal investigator.
- Research consultancy: 'Audit of Youth Crime and Youth Justice in North Ayrshire: Profiling Young Offenders', March-August 2007: (North Ayrshire: £6,200) - as principal investigator.
- Research project: 'Risk Assessment and Management of Children and Young People', January to May 2007 (Risk Management Authority: £26,183) - with Michele Burman, Fergus McNeill, Sarah Armstrong and Jan Nicholson. Prof. Burman drafted this proposal and managed the award.
- Research consultancy: '21st Century Social Work Review: Literature Review on Key Practice Skills', December 2004 to February 2005 (Social Work Services Inspectorate, Scottish Executive: £8,750) - with Fergus McNeill, Ros Burnett and Jo Knox. Prof. McNeill drafted this proposal and managed the award.
- Research consultancy: February 2003-January 2005: Consultancy Support for Audit of Youth Crime and Youth Justice in Dumfries and Galloway (with Fergus McNeill and Robin Tuddenham), East Ayrshire (with Fergus McNeill and Kathryn Dutton), East Renfrewshire (with Fergus McNeill and Kathryn Dutton), North Ayrshire (with Fergus McNeill) and South Lanarkshire (with Fergus McNeill) (Total award £110,333). Prof. McNeill drafted these proposals and managed the awards.
Supervision
PhD supervision
I welcome enquiries from potential PhD applicants, particularly those interested in pursuing research related to my interests in youth, gender, leisure and/or violence.
Current PhD students
Kerry Andrew, Pathways to health and wellbeing: Understanding the role of gender segregated leisure. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Second supervisor with Dr Miriam Snellgrove, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Djihad Abdallaoui, Becoming a Salafi woman in Algeria: piety, gender and modesty. Funded by the Ministry of Higher Education in Algeria. First supervisor with Dr Diego Maria Malara, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Claire Chapman, Supporting victimised autistic women in Scotland: Using inclusive approaches to understanding their experiences. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Second supervisor with Dr Caitlin Gormley and Dr Oona Brooks, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Aleksei Konshin, Constructing the Knife Crime Epidemic in the British Media. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Third Supervisor, with James Balfour, School of Critical Studies, and Alistair Fraser, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Donna MacLellan, Young Women, Consumer Culture and Crime. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. First Supervisor with Professor Gerda Reith, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Clare Marsh, An Examination of Defences in Scots Law, where a non-fatal offence has been preceded by domestic abuse. Third Supervisor, with Rachel McPherson and Louise Kennefick, School of Law.
Jennifer McCallum, Violence Against Women in the Music Industry. Self-funded. First supervisor with Professor Fergus McNeill, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Spencer Song, Lesbian and Queer Women’s Experiences of Technology-facilitated sexual Violence. Self-funded. Second Supervisor with Dr Kelly Johnson, School of Social and Political Sciences.
For further details about our PhD students and their projects see: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/research/sociology/postgraduate/
- Andrew, Kerri
Pathways to health and wellbeing: Understanding the role of gender segregated leisure - Chapman, Claire
Supporting victimised autistic women in Scotland: Using inclusive approaches to understanding their experiences - Song, Lintong
Negative Sexual Experiences with the Use of Dating Apps among Lesbian & Queer Women
Successful PhD completions
Joe Brown, Heroin Users in Rural Scotland. Self-funded. Second supervisor with Dr Lucy Pickering, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Anna Clover, Women, Creative Labour and 'Etsy': An examination of freelance 'passionate' work under neo-liberal and post-Fordist capitalism. Funded by University of Glasgow College of Social Sciences Scholarship. Second supervisor with Dr Matt Dawson.
Annie Crowley, Protection for Whom? Responding to ‘At Risk’ Young Women. Funded by Economic and Social Research Council/Up-2-us Collaborative Studentship. First supervisor with Prof. Michéle Burman, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Amy Cullen, Exploring Administrative Fines as a Punishment for Women Who Offend in Scotland. Funded by Economic and Social Research Council Open Competition. First supervisor with Professor Margaret Malloch, University of Stirling.
Gokben Demirbas, Negotiating Socio-spatial Change: Exploring Women’s Everyday Leisure Practices in Two Neighbourhoods in Turkey. Funded by Turkish Higher Education Council scholarship. First supervisor with Dr Francesca Stella, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Alistair Fraser, Confronting the Glasgow gang complex. Funded by Adam Smith Research Fellowship. Second supervisor with Prof. Prof. Michéle Burman, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Justine Gangneux, Enabling Surveillance: Young People’s Uses and Understandings of Mobile Technologies. Funded by College of Social Sciences Scholarship, University of Glasgow. First supervisor with Prof. Andy Furlong, School of Education.
Maureen McBride, Sectarianism in Scotland. Funded by Economic and Social Research Council Socio-Legal and Criminology Pathway. First supervisor with Prof. Satnam Virdee, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Amanda Ptolomey, Disabled Girlhoods. Funded via Scottish Children’s Neighbourhood Research Scholarship. Second supervisor with Professor Nick Watson, School of Social and Political Sciences.
Lubaba Sadaf, Marital violence against Pakistani women in cross-cultural context. Self-funded. Third supervisor with Dr Nicole Bourque (First) and Dr Mo Hume (Second), School of Social and Political Sciences.
Hannah Walters, The Paradox of Training: Working-class Girls’ Experiences of Further Education and Vocational Education and Training. Funded by College of Social Sciences Scholarship, University of Glasgow. Second supervisor with Dr. Lesley Doyle, School of Education.
PhD examinations
Sarah Anderson, Punishing Trauma: Narratives, desistance, recovery, Criminology, University of Glasgow, 2019. Internal Examiner with Prof. Shad Maruna (External, Queens University Belfast).
Colin Atkinson, Beyond Cop Culture: The cultural challenge of civilian intelligence analysis in Scottish Policing, Sociology, University of Glasgow, 2013. Internal Examiner with Prof. Tim Newburn (External, London School of Economics).
Karen Cuthbert, Gender without Sexuality: Exploring the relationship between gender and sexuality at the empirical sites of asexuality and sexual abstinence. Sociology, University of Glasgow 2017. Internal Examiner with Dr Sally Hines (External, University of Leeds).
Yue Li, Oriental Mysteries, Occidental Dreams? Perception, experience, and cultural reinterpretation in contemporary cross-cultural contexts: a comparative analysis between China and the West, Sociology, University of Glasgow, 2013. Internal Examiner with Prof. Paul Gladstone (External, University of Nottingham).
Ashleigh Larkin, An Empirical Investigation into How Young Women Engage in and Upload Female-to-Female Fights on Social Media, Queensland University of Technology, 2018. External Examiner.
Clare McFeeley, The Health Visitor Response to Domestic Abuse. General Practice, University of Glasgow 2017. Internal Examiner.
Sylvia Morgan, Constructing Identities, Reclaiming Subjectivities, Reconstructing Selves: An interpretative study of transgender practices in Scotland, Sociology, University of Glasgow 2017. Internal Examiner with Dr Sally Hines (External, University of Leeds).
Susan Smillie, Exploring Young People's Experiences of Wellbeing, Leisure and Creativity on the School Holidays, University of Glasgow 2025. Internal Examiner with Dr Emma Davidson (External, University of Edinburgh).
Tara Young, Risky Youth or Gang Members? A contextual critique of the (re)discovery of gangs in Britain, London Metropolitan University. External Examiner with Prof. Peter Squires (External, University of Brighton).
Jia Xie, The Pursuit of Freedom and Its Risks: The Dreams and Dilemmas of Young Chinese Backpackers, Sociology, University of Glasgow 2017. Internal Examiner with Prof. Paul Gladstone (External, University of Nottingham).
Teaching
Current
- Criminological Theory in Context (MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, Lecturer)
- Sociology of Gender (UG Hons Sociology, Lecturer)
- Understanding and Explaining Crime (UG Hons Sociology, Convenor)
- Violence, Victimisation and Social Harm (MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, Convenor)
Previous
- Advanced Qualitative Methods (MSc Social Science Research, Lecturer)
- Crime, Media and Popular Culture (MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, Lecturer)
- Criminological Theory in Context (MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, Convenor)
- Dissertation in Criminology (MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, Convenor)
- Dissertation in Sociology (UG Hons Sociology, Convenor)
- Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice (MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, Convenor)
- Leisure and Society (UG Hons Sociology, Co-convenor)
- Qualitative Research Methods (UG Hons Sociology, Lecturer)
- Research and Enquiry in Crime and Criminal Justice (MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, Convenor)
- Sociology 1B: Crime and Control (UG Level 1 Sociology, Convenor)
- Sociology of Consumption (UG Hons Sociology, Lecturer)
- Sociology of Gender Relations (UG Hons Sociology, Convenor)
- Spatialities of Crime and Justice (UG Hons Sociology, Lecturer)
- Understanding and Explaining Crime and Social Control (MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, Convenor)
- Understanding Crime and Crime Reduction (MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, Convenor)
- Violence and Society (UG Hons Sociology, Convenor)
- Youth, Gangs and Globalisation (UG Hons Sociology, Lecturer)
- Women, Crime and Criminal Justice (MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, Convenor)
Additional information
Institutional affiliations
- Member of Gender Based Violence Research Forum
- Member of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research
Membership of professional bodies
- Member of British Society of Criminology
- Member of British Sociological Association
- Member of Higher Education Academy
Leadership and service
University
- University Ethics Committee (2021-2022)
- Member of Senate (2007-2010)
- Senate Assessor for Discipline (2008-2010)
College
- College Ethics Lead, College of Social Sciences (2021-2022)
- College Research Ethics Committee, College of Social Sciences (2018-2022)
School
- School Ethics Forum Convenor, Social and Political Sciences (2018-2020)
- Undergraduate Adviser of Studies (2009-2010)
Division
- Honours Programme Convenor, Sociological and Cultural Studies (2025 to date)
- Division Assessment Officer, Sociological and Cultural Studies (2024-2025)
- Departmental Exams Officer, Sociology (2012-2015)
- Departmental Ethics Officer, Sociology (2007-2010)
- Honours Dissertation Coordinator, Sociology (2008-2010)
Subject
- Working Lunches/Seminar Coordinator, Criminology
External engagement and esteem
Policy and practice
- Provided evidence to Scottish Parliament (PE1947: Address Scotland’s culture of youth violence, 2024) and Police Scotland (Operation Stardrop, 2025).
- Contributed to Scottish Government Violence Prevention Framework working group (critical friend role, 2022).
- Invited contributions to Scottish Parliament Equal Opportunities Committee inquiry into female offenders (2009) and Home Office roundtable on female gang violence (2012).
- Former member of Scottish Government Vulnerable Girls and Young Women’s Champions Group, reporting to the National Youth Justice Strategy Group.
Invited presentations
- Batchelor, S. (2024). Female perpetrators and victims of violence: Sociological aspects. Royal Society of Medicine, London, 19 March 2024.
- Batchelor, S. and Gormley, C. (2023). Repeat Violence in Scotland: Findings and recommendations, Justice Analytical Services, The Scottish Government, Edinburgh, 13th June 2023.
- Batchelor, S. and Burman, M. (2021). Working with Young Women and Girls, Dui Hua Foundation Webinar, Hong Kong, 2nd March 2021.
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Batchelor, S. (2019). Taking stock of violence in Scotland, Keynote Address, SASO 50th Annual Conference, Hilton Glasgow Westerwood Resort, 1st November 2019.
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Batchelor, S. (2018). Doing justice to young women? Reflections on researching girls and violence in Scotland. Opening plenary, Girlhood Gang Conference, Glasgow Women’s Library, 5 September 2018.
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Batchelor, S. (2018). Doing justice to young women? The risks of research on girls, gangs and violence. British Society of Criminology WCCJ Network Conference: Women Offenders – Negotiating the Victim-Offender Paradox, University College London, 30 April 2018.
Editorial duties
- Editorial board for Criminology and Criminal Justice (2012 onwards).
- Referee of journal articles for International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy (2021 onwards); Journal of Youth Studies (2002 onwards); Gender Issues (2008 onwards); Youth Justice (2008 onwards); Feminist Criminology (2010 onwards); Criminology and Criminal Justice (2012 onwards).
- Referee of book proposals/books for Open University Press (2007 onwards); Routledge Publications (2005 onwards); Sage Publications (2005 onwards)
- Referee of research grant applications/end of award reports for Economic and Social Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme (2010); Economic and Social Research Council First Grant Scheme (2008 onwards); Economic and Social Research Council Large Grant Competition (2008 onwards); Economic and Social Research Council Standard Grants (Open call) (2004 onwards); Scottish Executive/Government (2007 onwards)
