Sociology, Social Policy, and Criminology - Organised crime gangs (OCGs) and the breeding of dogs

Supervisor: Dr Gemma Ahearne

Supervisor bio: 

I am a feminist criminologist, a teacher, and a storyteller. I am passionate about Dyslexic thinking, innovation in teaching and learning, cross-faculty working, sustainability, and the student experience. I want to do things differently.

I entered higher education via a non-traditional trajectory, dropping out of university the first time around (University of Liverpool!). This has given me a strong commitment to the student experience, and providing a safe, inclusive and welcoming teaching space for students. I have a strong commitment to widening participation and creating a more inclusive and welcoming academia. I place great value on lived experience and different ways of producing and sharing knowledge. I am the Widening Participation Lead for my department, where I deliver taster day sessions and outreach lectures.

As part of my commitment to widening participation I also work as a WP mentor; deliver a summer school session; a school outreach session (Yr12 and Y13); a lecture for the Liverpool Scholars' Programme; Go Higher outreach; Return to Learn session; and have also delivered a lecture for the Go Higher Access Programme. I am also a tutor for Realising Opportunities at the University of Liverpool. As someone from a socio-economically deprived background this work is very important to me. I am working with Deonne Hill and team as they develop Liverpool Plus.

Email: gemma.ahearne@liverpool.ac.uk

School: Law & Social Justice 

Department: Sociology, Social Policy, and Criminology

Module Code: LAW099

Suitable for Students Of: Criminology, Geography, Law, Veterinary Public Health, Psychology, Critical Animal Studies

Desirable experience/requirements: We would like the applicant to have excellent literature searching skills and critical analysis. We honour neurodiversity and different ways of thinking through problems.

Places Available: 5

Start Dates: 16 June 2025 only

Project Length: 8 weeks 

Virtual Option: Yes - In Person, Hybrid, and Virtual

Project Description: 

In Dec 2023, Dr John Tulloch (Department of Livestock and One Health) and I were awarded a BBSRC Impact Acceleration Account grant for the project: 'The analysis of solicitors’ records to contextualise events surrounding dog bites and attacks'. As part of developing our research further, we are interested in the relationship between organised crime gangs (OCGs) dog breeding, and dog attacks. We will be mapping geographical space in terms of canine consumerism, dog rescue organisations, and online adverts in order to provide the context for this lucrative trade. We will be asking dog rescue staff and volunteers for their anonymous responses. We have received a letter of support for previous research from key stakeholders. We are currently writing a larger grant bid to take this work forward. We will be the first in the world to take this approach to researching this topic across Criminology and Veterinary Public Health.

Additional Requirements: N/A