Emily Rose Hay

Dr Emily Rose Hay serves as a Research Associate in Criminology at the University of Sheffield's School of Law, collaborating with Professor Gwen Robinson on the Leverhulme Trust project 'Probation’s Evolving Frontline: An oral history of probation paraprofessionals'.

Her academic credentials include:

• PhD in Economic and Social History, University of Edinburgh (2023)
• MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Oxford (2015)
• MA (Hons) in History, University of Edinburgh (2013)

Her research specializes in historical representations of crime, with particular focus on media portrayals of criminality, gender dynamics in justice systems, and the emotional dimensions of sensitive historical research. She pioneered the Emotionally Demanding Histories Group to address researcher wellbeing in trauma-adjacent scholarship, while her doctoral work examined child homicide narratives in late-20th century British press coverage through spatial and biographical lenses.

Recent scholarly output centers on historical penal systems, exemplified by her 2022 book review analyzing English convict prisons between 1879-1948, reflecting her commitment to uncovering marginalized perspectives in criminal justice history.

Professional recognition includes:

• Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
• Membership in the Royal Historical Society
• British Society of Criminology affiliation

Dr Hay contributes to the Centre for Criminological Research while managing Leverhulme-funded projects on probation history. Her career spans research roles including the Penal History Project at Queen Mary University of London (2016-2018) examining Northern Irish political prisoners, alongside teaching criminology at the Open University and University of Edinburgh.

She maintains active involvement in professional networks including the Challenging Research Network and continues developing publications from her doctoral thesis on media representations of child homicide.