Sarah Kelleher

Dr Sarah Kelleher is a Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the School of Psychology, University of Kent. She joined the university in 2022 after completing her MSc in Forensic Psychology at the University of York and commencing her PhD research at Kent in 2019, focusing on rape myths and juror decision-making.

• Education
  • BA in Applied Psychology, University College Cork (Ireland)
  • MSc in Forensic Psychology, University of York

Her research examines cognitive biases surrounding sexual violence, particularly how rape myth acceptance affects the justice gap in sexual assault cases. She develops interventions to improve juror understanding of sexual violence dynamics.

Recent publications and presentations focus on juror decision-making, rape myths, and sexual assault case outcomes. Her 2024 work explores attitudes toward jury education about rape myths.

• Scientific Awards
  • 2024 Student Presentation Award, European Association of Psychology and Law
  • 2021 Marnie Rice Student Poster Award, Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
  • 2019 Graduate Teaching Scholarship, University of Kent School of Psychology

Teaching modules include Forensic Cognition, Psychology of Criminal Conduct, and Psychology of Law and Justice. She serves as Module Convenor for multiple postgraduate and undergraduate courses in forensic psychology.