معرفی
Professor Katherine D. Watson is a leading historian of criminal justice and forensic medicine at Oxford Brookes University, where she has been teaching since 2004. She holds the academic rank of Professor of Criminal Justice History within the School of Education, Humanities and Languages and is affiliated with the Department of History. Her research is highly interdisciplinary, bridging law, medicine, and social history, with a focus on crime in Britain from the 17th century onward.
- Professor of Criminal Justice History, Oxford Brookes University
- School of Education, Humanities and Languages
- Department of History
- Email: kwatson@brookes.ac.uk
Watson earned her DPhil in modern history from the University of Oxford, following earlier studies at the Universities of Western Ontario and Leeds. Her academic journey has been supported by prestigious grants and fellowships from the Wellcome Trust, British Academy, and Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, reflecting the significance and impact of her research.
- DPhil, University of Oxford
- University of Leeds
- University of Western Ontario
Her research centers on the history of crime, forensic medicine, and medico-legal practice in Britain, particularly from 1700 to the mid-20th century. Key areas include criminal poisoning, homicide, assault (including acid throwing), and the role of medical expertise in legal proceedings. She has published a major monograph on medico-legal practice (2020) and is currently writing a book on poisoning crimes in the West. Her work often explores gender, social class, and regional variations in crime and justice.
Watson’s 15 most recent publications reveal a consistent focus on the intersection of medicine and law in historical criminal cases. Themes include forensic toxicology, expert testimony, Jack the Ripper, infanticide, and the development of forensic medicine as a discipline. Her recent co-edited volume, The Routledge Handbook of Jack the Ripper Studies (2025), demonstrates her leadership in interdisciplinary crime scholarship.
Her scientific recognition includes support from the Wellcome Trust, British Academy, and Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. These awards underscore her contributions to the history of medicine and crime.
- Wellcome Trust Fellowship
- British Academy Grant
- Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Fellowship
Watson has supervised multiple PhD and MA students, including Fraser Joyce (on identifying the unknown dead), Mary Gifford (on medical themes in 18th-century novels), and current candidates researching homicide in Lancashire, police detectives, and the academic development of forensic medicine. She welcomes new students interested in the history of forensic medicine and crime since the 17th century. Her research has been funded by major grants, and she has organized key academic events such as international conferences on violence and forensic chemistry.
She is actively involved in research groups including Medicine, Health and Society and the History of Crime. She co-organizes the blog Legal History Miscellany and contributes to public understanding through media appearances, including documentaries like Murder, Mystery and My Family and the podcast Moments In Medicine #9.
حوزههای پژوهشی
