Julia Laite

Professor Julia Laite is a historian specializing in migration, gender, and crime at Birkbeck, University of London, within the School of Historical Studies. Her research bridges historical analysis with public engagement, focusing on settler colonialism, family history, and the intersection of sex work and criminal justice. She holds an ISRF Mid-Career Fellowship for a project on Newfoundland's colonial history and storytelling.

Education: PhD (2009), MPhil (2003) from University of Cambridge; BA (2002) in History from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Former postdoctoral fellowships at Memorial University and McGill University.

Research Interests: Migration patterns, gender dynamics in historical contexts, family history methodologies, and the history of sex work regulation. Her work emphasizes microhistorical approaches and public accessibility of historical narratives.

Awards: Crime Writer's Gold Dagger (2021) and Bert Roth Labour History Award for The Disappearance of Lydia Harvey, examining early 20th-century trafficking.

• Teaching: Convenes MA Public Histories and MA/MSc Gender and Sexuality programs.
• Supervision: Guides doctoral students on topics like colonial violence, HIV/AIDS and sex work, and Victorian seduction discourses.
• Administrative Roles: Editor of History Workshop Journal; Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Current projects include decolonizing U.S. policy analysis and digital methodologies for family history. She leads the North Kensington Archive and Heritage Project documenting Grenfell Tower fire community histories.