Ben Matthews

Dr Ben Matthews is a Lecturer in Social Statistics and Demography within the Department of Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology at the University of Stirling. He serves as the Taught Postgraduate Divisional Chief Examiner and holds Delegated Authority from the General University Ethics Panel within the Faculty of Social Sciences. His academic work bridges criminology, social statistics, and demographic analysis, with a particular focus on understanding inequality through data-driven approaches.

Dr Matthews completed his PhD in Law at the University of Edinburgh in 2017. Prior to his current position, he served as a Research Fellow in Criminology on the Understanding Inequalities project and as a Research Associate in Data Analysis and Statistics at the Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research (SCADR).

Dr Matthews' research focuses on the intersection of crime, inequality, and social statistics. His work employs administrative and survey data to investigate patterns of victimization, policing practices, and social inequalities. He combines statistical modeling with data visualization techniques to uncover nuanced patterns in crime trends, particularly examining how crime impacts different demographic groups. His research has important implications for understanding victimization inequality, the impact of the pandemic on policing practices, and the regulation of everyday behaviors through mechanisms like fixed penalty notices.

Analysis of Dr Matthews' recent publications reveals a strong focus on using administrative data to understand crime patterns and policing during the pandemic. His work spans multiple jurisdictions (Scotland, England and Wales, Australia, and Queensland) while maintaining a consistent methodological approach centered on statistical analysis of large datasets. Key themes across his recent work include pandemic policing, victimization inequality, digital drug markets, and the life course trajectory from childhood system contact to adult criminal conviction.

Dr Matthews is actively involved in significant research projects, notably serving as Co-Investigator on the Policing the Pandemic research project. His work with the Understanding Inequalities project and SCADR demonstrates his commitment to using data to address social issues. He is affiliated with the Social Surveys and Social Statistics and Crime & Justice research groups at Stirling, contributing to the university's research theme on Cultures, Communities & Society.

His methodological expertise lies in working with administrative data, statistical modeling, and data visualization, which he applies to criminological questions with a particular emphasis on understanding inequality across different demographic dimensions.