Dr Conor Murray is a Lecturer in Criminology within the School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences, where he is the Global Engagement Lead and Postgraduate Tutor. He is UU’s Institutional Lead for the ESRC Northern Ireland and North-East England Doctoral Training Partnership; and he also sits on the Executive Board of NIACRO, an NGO dedicated to reducing crime and its impact on people and communities in Northern Ireland.
As an early career academic, Conor has a distinct focus on widening access to higher education and he is the co-founder and Course Director of the Stay Onside: Applied Football Studies Personal and Professional Development Course delivered to prisoners in HMP Maghaberry. The course is delivered as an academically accredited sport-based intervention, which he co-delivers with the Irish Football Association.
Conor is also an active researcher and has been involved in securing over £150,000 in research funding and support grants since commencing his post. His co-edited book ‘Crime, Justice and Religion: A Critical Appraisal’ will be published by Routledge in December 2022. His research monograph ‘Young Men, Masculinities and Imprisonment’, based upon a nine-month ethnographic study in Hydebank Wood (Young Offenders Centre) College, will be published by Palgrave in early 2023. While writing both books Conor has also been exploring research interests in disciplines of young adulthood, gender, sexuality, policing, religion, and sport-based interventions, and has published book chapters, peer reviewed articles and reports. In November 2022 he was invited to Westminster with colleagues to give oral evidence on his research expertise to the NI Affair’s Committee on the effects of paramilitaries on NI communities.