Rachel Stuart

Dr Rachel Stuart is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Deviance at Brunel University London, affiliated with the Department of Social and Political Sciences within the College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences. She is a critical criminologist specializing in research on marginalized communities, including Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) populations and sex workers. She holds a PhD in Criminology from the University of Kent and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Her research focuses on institutional and systemic violence, digital sex work, necropolitics, intersectional criminology, and digital exclusion. She employs participatory and qualitative methodologies to center the voices of marginalized groups. Her work is highly interdisciplinary, intersecting criminology, public health, sociology, and human rights.

Her recent publications (2020–2024) reflect a strong trend in studying the impacts of policing, public health policies, and the pandemic on vulnerable populations. Key themes include violence against sex workers, community-led responses to health crises, digital poverty, and the structural marginalization of GRT communities. Her work often involves mixed-methods and co-produced research.

• Winner of the student-led Equality, Diversity and Liberation award (2023)
• Member of the British Society of Criminology
• Active contributor to policy discussions, including with the APPG for Gypsies, Travellers and Roma and the Mayor of Newham
• Collaborator with Human Rights Watch on LGBTQ+ and sex worker rights

Dr Stuart supervises PhD students, including Mamoon Bhuyan, and is keen to supervise further research in Traveller/ Romany injustice and digital sex work. She leads and co-investigates multiple externally funded projects from NIHR, British Academy, and Doctors of the World, focusing on violence prevention, digital inclusion, and health equity. She is also involved in curriculum development, serving as module convenor for Crime Media and Society, Intersectional Criminology, and the forthcoming Capitalism and Sex module. Her work is supported by affiliations with the Institute for Communities and Society at Brunel and collaborations with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).