Conor O'Reilly

Professor Conor O'Reilly serves as Professor in Transnational Crime and Security at the School of Law, University of Leeds, where he also holds leadership positions as Co-Director of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies and Pathway Director for Security, Conflict and Justice within the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership.

His research focuses on transnational security challenges with particular expertise in kidnapping phenomena, border crimes, policing pluralization, and colonial legacies in security practices across Portuguese-speaking nations. He has developed significant comparative frameworks for analyzing policing dynamics throughout the Lusophone world, connecting historical colonial practices with contemporary security challenges.

Professor O'Reilly's publication portfolio centers on transnational security governance, with his 2020 edited volume Colonial Policing and the Transnational Legacy establishing foundational scholarship on Lusophone policing networks. His work demonstrates consistent thematic focus on how historical policing models continue to shape contemporary security practices across former Portuguese colonies and their diasporic connections.

• British Society of Criminology
• European Society of Criminology
• International Association for Portuguese-Speaking Criminology (Permanent Member and International Advisory Council)
• International Network for the Everyday Political Economy of Plural Policing
• Urban Violence Research Network

His research leadership includes directing the Newton Fund (Mexico) Project M.A.K.E. on 'Mobile Solutions to the Mexican Kidnapping Epidemic' and co-investigating the ESRC Transformative project on 'Data Justice in Mexico's Multiveillant Society.' Professor O'Reilly maintains active editorial roles including membership on the International Advisory Board of Emerald Studies in Plural Policing, and his work has received international recognition including coverage in New Scientist and Colombian National Radio.