Melissa completed her PhD at Royal Holloway in 2017 and joined the department as a lecturer in Criminology and Sociology in 2018. Her PhD research looked at peer mentoring to support desistance from crime for female prisoners and ex-offenders. 

Prior to completing her PhD she obtained an MA (Hons) degree in Sociology and an MSc degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice, both from the University of Glasgow. 

Melissa's research broadly focuses on prison populations, looking specifically at female experiences of incarceration and desistance, as well as rehabilitative measures. Her PhD research explored peer mentoring programmes for women in prison, as well as mentoring as a rehabilitative strategy within the community. From a sociological perspective, she has an interest in relational theory, looking specifically at relationships within prison settings and familial connections.

Melissa is also a founding member of the Death Studies Group, engaging in research and teaching in the field of death education.   

Melissa teaches across sociology and criminology and is currently teaching undergraduate students on the following modules:
CR2014 Sociology of Contemporary Society; CR1014 Introduction to Sociology; CR2019 Sociology of the Family ; CR3036 Sociology of Death. 

Melissa has previously taught at postgraduate level on the module CR5005 Crime and Consumerism. 

Melissa has experience supervising BSc Criminology and Sociology undergraduate dissertations, as well as MA Consumption, Culture and Marketing postgraduate dissertations.