Professor Rosie Meek is a chartered psychologist and prison scholar, experienced in both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. During 2023-2025 she holds a UKRI Policy Fellowship (ESRC-funded), which sees her partially seconded to the Ministry of Justice.

Professor Meek joined Royal Holloway University of London in 2013 as Head of Department, and during her extended tenure as a senior leader she established and led the interdisciplinary School of Law.

She co-directs (with Professor Nick Hardwick) the Crime & Punishment Research Cluster

Professor Meek's current research activities include:

1. Leading a multi-disciplinary team of academics, collaborating with HM Inspectorate of Prisons on an Economic & Social Research Council funded initiative undertaking secondary analysis of 20 years of prisoner survey data 

2. Supporting the UN Office for Drugs and Crime on their crime prevention initiatives, including the role of sport in youth crime prevention 

3. Developing effective measurement tools for the evaluation of mentoring and arts programmes in criminal justice settings (with Prof Mike Maguire, RAND and ARCS)

4. The role of sport and physical activity in prison settings: 'Sport in Prison' published by Routledge in 2013 and an independent review of sport and physical activity in youth and adult prisons, 'A Sporting Chance' published by the Ministry of Justice in 2018. Click here for a short film (from 2012) on Professor Meek's sports research at HMP & YOI Portland 

5. The role of voluntary and community organisations in reducing reoffending and promoting desistance (click here for further details of some of my earler work with Dr Alice Mills of the University of Auckland, and Dr Dina Gojkovic)

6. The implementation and evaluation of programmes and initiatives at a number of different HMP establishments.

She works closely with parliamentarians to ensure that her research is effective in improving criminal justice, education and health outcomes.  As Impact Lead she is especially committed to ensuring that the academic research that members of the Law & Criminology department undertake has a positive impact on society. 

In teaching activities currently convenes our Year 1 'Introduction to Criminal Justice Systems' core course,  the Year 2 'Research Methods for Psychologists' core course and the Year 3 'Prisons' option course, as well as contributing to a number of other undergraduate and postgraduate modules, and supervising dissertation students on our BSc Criminology & Psychology BSc Criminology & Sociology, MSc Forensic Psychology and Doctoral programmes.

Professor Meek was primary supervisor for the following successfully completed doctoral candidates:

Anita Mehay (Health promotion and health literacy in diverse prisoner populations): 2017

Melissa Henderson (Peer mentoring for women in the Criminal Justice System): 2018

Anastasia Jablonska (Women in prison, physical activity and nutrition): 2018

Hannah Baumer (Physical activity and wellbeing among young adult prisoners): 2018

Morwenna Bennallick (Prisoner education and learning cultures) 2019

Erin Condirston (Prisoner education and wellbeing) 2023

Primary supervisor for current PhD students, including:

Lisa Edmondson (The implementation and evaluation of prison sports initiatives)

Member of the Economic and Social Research Council's Grant Assessment Panel.

Associate Editor of Criminology & Criminal Justice. 

Member of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services ethics panel.

Member of the Youth Justice Board's Academic Liaison Panel steering group.

Methodological Expert, The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Social Return on Investment Model

Previously a member of the Youth Justice Board effective practice classification panel and the British Psychological Society undergraduate education committee.

Fulbright Distinguished Scholar (University of California San Diego).

Appointments previously held at the University of Southampton, Teesside University, the Open University and the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Examining of doctoral work:

PhD: Coral Sirdifield (University of Lincoln) 2014

PhD: Emily Smith (University of Manchester) 2014

PsychD Forensic Psychology: Carolyn Mitchell (University of Roehampton) 2015

PhD: Gina Fox (University of Leicester) 2016

PhD: Dennis Gough (University of Portsmouth) 2017

PhD: David Woods (Ulster University) 2017

PhD: Khurshid Choudhry (Kings College London) 2018

PhD: Kreseda Smith (Harper Adams University) 2018

EdD: Amy Mitchell (Kingston University) 2018

PhD: Jessica Rea (Royal Holloway University of London) 2019

PhD Ha Do (Univeresity of Victoria, New Zealand) 2019

DForenPsy Franchesca Potts (University of Portsmouth) 2020

PhD David Gallant (La Trobe Univerity, Australia) 2020

PhD Marie Steinbrecher (Royal Holloway, University of London) 2021

PhD Joanna Blackwell (Birkbeck, University of London) 2021

PhD Daniel Roe (Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences) 2021

PhD Aisling O'Meara (Swansea University) 2023

PhD Jessica Hassan (University of Ulster) 2023

External examining of undergraduate/postgraduate programmes:

Sheffield University

Sussex University

Plymouth University 

Manchester Metropolitan University

St Mary's University College London

University Campus Suffolk

Nottingham Trent University

University of Sussex: BA (Social Psychology), MRes (Psychological Methods), PhD (Psychology) and PGCertHE.