Dr Jude Towers

Profile

Biography

As Associate Head of the School of Law and Criminal Justice at Edge Hill University, I specialise in, and bring a strategic focus to, knowledge creation and exchange and external engagement, fostering innovation and impact across policy and practice. My career has been dedicated to creating and utilising knowledge creation to enable actionable insights, facilitate collaboration, and drive positive societal change. 

My extensive experience in academia and beyond, includes projects funded by the European Parliament, EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinators Office, and charities, serving as Training and Learning Strand Lead for the N8 Policing Research Partnership (2015-2020) and Co-Investigator for the UKRI-funded Violence, Abuse and Mental Health Network (2019-2023).

With a deep interest in how data is conceptualized and used, I aim to refine our understanding of social phenomena and utilise these understandings in the strategic development of research, policy, and practice by facilitating collaborative knowledge production and exchange.

As an effective leader, I prioritise strategically, value evidence-informed decision-making, enable collaboration and innovation, and foster environments where creativity can thrive. I leverage my skills in emotional intelligence, communicative intelligence, creative and analytical thinking to deliver purpose-driven, ethical, curious, and agile learning and development within and across individuals, teams and organisations. 

I am an advocate for lifelong learning, evidenced by my recent participation in the Aurora Women in Leadership (2024) and Edge Hill University Leadership (2024-25) programmes. Adaptable and forward-thinking, I thrive in dynamic environments, where I embrace change as a catalyst for growth. I excel in developing strategic approaches to complex challenges. These attributes enable me to lead effectively in dynamic and evolving environments.

Since completing my PhD (Economic Inequality and Intimate Partner Violence against Women) in 2013, I have worked as a Senior Research Associate (Lancaster University), a Lecturer in Sociology (Lancaster University) and a Senior Lecturer in Policing (LJMU), before taking up a Senior Lectureship at Edge Hill in 2022 and the Associate Head role in 2024. 

I currently supervisors four PGRs who are investigating policing problems (domestic violence prevention orders/notices; police responses to coercive control; prepareness for public order command; and serious crimes investigations and big data). I have two completions (Dr Jessica Phoenix – measuring domestic violence using police data and Dr Elouise Davies – measuring domestic violence using the CSEW). 

I am an External Examiner for the BSc Professional Policing degree at UCL.

Research Interests

• Construction and use of knowledge 
• Knowledge exchange, especially between academia and public and third sector organisations 
• Measurement of social phenomena
• VAWGs.

Teaching

Current Teaching

• PLN3002 Police Research Report (BSc Professional Policing)
• PLN2006 Doing Police Research  (BSc Professional Policing)

Previous Teaching Experience

• LAW4016 Dissertation 
• LAW4021 Advanced Research Methods
• PLN3002 Police Research Report (BSc Professional Policing)
• PLN2006 Doing Police Research  (BSc Professional Policing)
• PLN1003 Criminal Justice (BSc Professional Policing)
• PLN1013 Skills for Professional Policing
• Teaching and Learning Lead – Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies (LJMU)
• School of Justice Studies Teaching and Learning Coordinator (LJMU)
• APSS Faculty Education Committee (LJMU)
• Programme Lead MSc, BSc and BSHF in Policing and Cybercrime (LJMU)
• Module Lead Dissertation (PGT)
• Module Lead Advanced Research Skills (PGT)
• Module Lead Dissertation (UG)
• Module Lead Advanced Social Research Skills (UG)
• Module Lead EBP Project (UG) 
• Module Tutor Introduction to Criminology for Policing (UG)
• Module lead Violence and Society (UG)
• Module Lead Gender and Violence (PGT)
• Module Lead Making Research Count (PGT)
• External Advisor BSc Professional Policing University of Hull (2020)
• External Validator MSc Criminal Intelligence Analysis UCLAN (2018)