معرفی
Dr Brian Payne is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Ulster University's School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences. He serves as Subject Lead for Criminology and Criminal Justice and conducts research through the Social Work and Social Policy Research group. His academic profile includes an ORCID identifier (0000-0001-6134-9191) and active engagement with Ulster University's Jordanstown Campus in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.
His educational background features a BSc in Psychology (2004), MSc in Criminology (2006), and PhD in Criminology (2012), all completed at Queen's University Belfast. His doctoral research examined police-community restorative justice partnerships in West Belfast's Nationalist/Republican communities under Professors Shadd Maruna and Kieran McEvoy, funded by a Department for Employment and Learning PhD Studentship.
Payne's research focuses on three interconnected domains: restorative justice implementation across multiple jurisdictions, transnational organised crime responses particularly in Irish contexts, and community policing dynamics in divided societies. His work demonstrates consistent engagement with practical applications through collaborations with police agencies in England, community projects in West Belfast, and international case studies in Sierra Leone. Recent publications reveal a methodological preference for ethnographic and comparative approaches examining top-down versus bottom-up implementation frameworks.
His publication record shows sustained scholarly output since 2010, with significant acceleration after 2016 including 28 research outputs and 4 major projects. Current research trajectories emphasize school-based restorative practices in Northern Ireland and emerging challenges in economic crime through blockchain technologies. Payne contributes to academic discourse through editorial work for the Irish Probation Journal and peer review activities since 2017.
Major funding sources include Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grants supporting projects through 2029, particularly the £2.1 million 'Blockchain, the Virtual Offshore, and Economic Crime' ethnography and school-based restorative justice implementation analysis. His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to peace, justice, and strong institutions through practical interventions in post-conflict societies.
Payne maintains active research supervision with one documented supervised work and collaborates extensively with colleagues including Dr. Claire Murray, Dr. Joanne Hobson, and Professor Kieran McEvoy. His professional network spans UK institutions, Ireland, Sierra Leone, and Israel, reflecting the international scope of his research on justice systems in divided societies.
