Crime and Security Analysis
Looks at how crime events occur and affect complex systems in the physical world or cyberspace. This research focuses on understanding what influence criminals’ decision making, the patterning of crime events in time and space, crime reporting, intelligence analysis and security operations, and directly informs the design of prevention policies and security measures. Students typically come from political science, crime science, psychology, geography, computer science, statistics and mathematics. During their PhD, they develop a strong theoretical knowledge in social/behavioural sciences along with advanced skills for complex systems analysis, such as:
- Big data analysis
- Ecological modelling
- Scripting and process analysis
- Geographical analysis
- Social network analysis
- Human error analysis
Design and Technology
Looks at the design and evaluation of crime prevention and security measures e.g. the emergence of new materials, sensors, and algorithms for security applications. Focuses on technological innovation and a powerful network of external partners, with researchers coming from physics, chemistry, electronic engineering and computer science backgrounds.
Key research areas include:
- UAVs
- Radar
- Chemical sensors
- X-ray scanners
- Cyber
- Ethics and technology
Forensic Science
This research addresses all stages of the forensic science process, from the crime scene to the analysis of evidence, the interpretation of those results and their presentation to a court. The focus of research projects within the forensic sciences broadly fall into two domains: 1) developing our understanding of trace evidence dynamics, and 2) addressing the interpretation of forensic evidence and intelligence. Students come from a range of backgrounds and develop a strong understanding of a particular forensic science domain and theoretical frameworks to enable more robust inference and interpretation of the significance and weight of intelligence and evidence.
Key research areas include:
- Forensic geoscience (soils, sediments, pollen, diatoms etc.)
- DNA
- Fingerprints
- Trace evidence (Gun Shot Residue, explosives, fibres, paint etc.)
- Inference and Interpretation (Bayes Nets, Inductive Logic Programming)
- Cognitive Forensics (decision making, cognitive issues)
Future Crime
Our Dawes Centre for Future Crime at UCL identifies emerging crime threats and works to deliver pre-emptive interventions for the benefit of society. The centre focuses on key questions such as "which emerging crimes should we focus on, given limited resources?" and "how can we mitigate future threats?" The Centre funds and/or supervises research in the following areas:
- Cybercrime
- Artificial Intelligence and crime
- Drones
- Autonomous vehicles
- Non-GPS navigation
- Blockchain
- Instructional technology
- Hyper-connectivity
- Robotics/Nanobots
- Mass customisation
- Portable, renewable power
- Wearable ICT
- Smart materials
- Stealth technologies
- Sensors, sensor fusion
- IOT
- Chemical synthesis
- GM/CRISPR
- Hacking (both senses)
- Crime caused by social changes eg. Climate change, migration