Research Projects
🧠 Project 1: A Dimensional Neurobiology of Antisocial Vulnerability
This project examines the neurobiological correlates of antisocial traits across forensic, clinical, and general population samples using a dimensional, non-deterministic framework. Drawing on converging structural neuroimaging evidence, the research focuses on shared and divergent brain networks associated with traits such as psychopathy, aggression, irritability, and emotional dysregulation. The aim is to advance understanding of vulnerability without implying causation, diagnosis, or criminal inevitability, and to clarify the limits of biological explanations of antisocial behaviour.
⚖️ Project 2: What Neuroimaging Can – and Cannot – Say in Court
This project critically evaluates the role of structural neuroimaging evidence in legal and forensic contexts. Using contemporary neuroimaging studies as case examples, it explores methodological limitations, interpretive risks, and ethical boundaries in the use of brain data in court proceedings. The project aims to provide clear, evidence-based guidance on when neuroimaging findings may offer contextual insight and when they are scientifically or legally inappropriate, supporting responsible expert testimony and judicial decision-making.
🧠⚠️ Project 3: Neural Vulnerability, Violence, and Self-Harm in Forensic Populations
This research investigates the overlap between neural vulnerability, violent behaviour, and self-harm in forensic and psychiatric populations. By integrating evidence from studies of aggression, psychopathy, psychosis, and suicidality, the project examines whether shared neurobiological systems may contribute to different behavioural outcomes under varying social and clinical conditions. The focus is on understanding risk at a population level to inform prevention, mental health support, and ethical risk management, without individual prediction or profiling.
🧠📐 Project 4: Methodological Limits of Structural Neuroimaging in Forensic Research
This project addresses the methodological challenges of structural neuroimaging research in forensic and high-risk populations. It examines issues such as small sample sizes, heterogeneity of clinical traits, variability in imaging methods, and problems of replication and overinterpretation. By analysing how these limitations shape current findings, the project aims to strengthen research standards, improve interpretive caution, and reduce the misuse of neuroscientific evidence in academic, legal, and public discourse.
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Expression of Interest: Research Collaboration with Brain & Crime