Lisa Sugiura

Lisa Sugiura is an Associate Professor in Cybercrime and Gender at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Portsmouth, within the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences. She leads research on online gender-based violence, technology-facilitated sexual violence, incel communities, and the intersection of gender and cybercrime. Her work is supported by major funders including the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the Home Office, and Ofcom.

• PhD in Web Science - Health Sciences, University of Southampton (2016)
• Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Web Science
• Undergraduate Law degree

Her research interests include online gender-based violence, domestic abuse facilitated by technology, incel and manosphere communities, online harassment, and the ethical challenges of digital research. She employs an interdisciplinary socio-technical approach with a strong feminist lens to examine how misogyny, sexism, transphobia, and homophobia manifest online.

Her recent publications focus on the technification of domestic abuse, incel radicalisation, TikTok’s role in spreading misogynistic ideologies, and ethical dilemmas in researching online extremism. These works highlight trends in understanding how digital technologies enable and amplify gendered violence, while also addressing methodological and ethical challenges in studying such phenomena.

Scientific awards include:

• Excellence in Teaching Award (student nomination, 2015)
• TRIF Fellowship (awarded competitively, 2019)

Lisa Sugiura supervises PhD students and has advised on projects involving cybercrime, domestic abuse, and online ethics. She has led funded research projects with institutions including the Home Office and Ministry of Justice. She is an active member of the academic community, serving as Editor for the International Journal of Police Science and Management, Associate Editor for Criminology and Criminal Justice, and member of the editorial board for the Crime and Justice in Digital Society book series.

She is Chair of the Board and a Fellow of the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism and currently serves as vice-chair of the Force Strategic Independent Advisory Group (FSIAG) for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. She frequently contributes expert commentary to national and international media, including the BBC, The Guardian, and The Conversation.