Michelle Butler

Michelle Butler is a Professor at Queen's University Belfast (QUB), based in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work and affiliated with the Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. She holds the academic rank of Professor and specializes in criminological psychology and imprisonment studies.

Education:

• BA in Psychology, University College Dublin
• MSc in Forensic Psychology, University of Kent
• PhD in Criminology, University of Cambridge
• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching, Queen's University Belfast

Research Interests: Her work focuses on imprisonment effects, penal reform, desistance, and social media crimes. Key areas include prison-based parenting programs, UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the impact of conflict on penal systems. She has supervised numerous PhD students and is actively involved in projects addressing youth justice, mental health in prisons, and cybersecurity.

Awards:

• Nominated for QUB Personal Tutor of the Year Award (2012)
• Multiple nominations for QUB PhD Supervisory Excellence Award (2015–2018)
• Nominated for QUB Staff Excellence Award for 'Outstanding Leadership' (2017)

Teaching: She teaches modules on punishment, penal policy, and reintegration after prison. Current and past students explore topics ranging from ADHD and desistance to media representations of prison deaths.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with the Mitchell Institute and ICCJ, she collaborates on projects like 'Promoting peace in Colombian prisons' and 'Cybersecurity training via immersive tech.' Her work intersects with UN SDGs and policy advocacy.