Julia Davidson

Professor Julia Davidson

Executive Director of Research

Professor

Department of Law & Criminology , School of Childhood and Social Care

Professor of Criminology and Director of the Institute for Connected Communities. She is one of the UK's foremost experts on policy and practice in the area of CSA and CSE and online harms. She is  Chair of the UK Council for Internet Safety Evidence Group and provides expert advice to international and national organisations such as the Technology Coalition,  UNICEF, the US Sentencing Commission, and the UN ITU, the Home Office, DCMS, she is a member of the Europol  EC3 Expert Academic Advisory Group and is the Chair of the Research Ethics Committee to the Independent Inquiry into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, having acted as an Academic Advisor to the Inquiry since it began in 2017.  

Qualifications

  • PhD Social Policy (2002) London School of Economics and Political Science
  • MSc Criminal justice policy (1988) London School of Economics and Political Science
  • BA (Hons) Sociology and Professional Studies 2:1 (1987) East London University (NELPS)

Areas Of Interest

  • Online harms
  • Online safety
  • Cybercrime
  • Serious offending
Julia Davidson

OVERVIEW

Professor Julia Davidson OBE, PhD (LSE) is the Director of the Institute of Connected Communities.

Professor of Criminology and Director of the Institute for Connected Communities. She is one of the UK's foremost experts on policy and practice in the area of CSA and CSE and online harms.

She is Chair of the UK Council for Internet Safety Evidence Group and provides expert advice to international and national organisations such as the Technology Coalition,  UNICEF, the US Sentencing Commission, and the UN ITU, the Home Office, DCMS. She is a member of the Europol  EC3 Expert Academic Advisory Group and is the Chair of the Research Ethics Committee to the Independent Inquiry into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, having acted as an Academic Advisor to the Inquiry since it began in 2017.  

She has directed a considerable amount of national and international research spanning 35 years and is currently co-leading an H2020 project exploring the human and technical drivers of cybercrime and is working with OFCOM to develop a child online risk taxonomy for VSPs in the context of the forthcoming UK online harms legislation. She has also acted as an advisor on child internet safety and children online to governments and practitioners in the  MENA region, South America and has recently worked with the Rwandan government to develop a child online protection policy (implemented 6/2019). She has been awarded a substantial amount of research funding over the last ten years from funders including the ESRC, the EU (Safer Internet, EC ISEC and H2020), the Home Office, DCMS, Charities and NGOs. She was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2020 for services to Internet Safety.

CURRENT RESEARCH

Prof Davidson has 30 years' experience in directing large-scale research projects and programmes and is currently co-directing an EC H2020 study exploring young people's pathways into cybercrime and the human and technical drivers of cybercrime undertaken in collaboration with partners in 8 EU countries (5 million euro). This research is supported by the EC3 and Interpol (CC Driver). 

She has recently directed a study for the UK Government (DCMS) exploring adult online harms in the context of the White Paper (Davidson et al 2019) and has worked on research exploring the development of the safety technology sector in the UK (2020).

She is currently also co-leading a study funded by OFCOM developing a taxonomy of online risks to guide the work of video service providers in the context of the forthcoming UK online harms legislation. 

  1. A study exploring child online protection (COP) in Rwanda led to the development of a COP policy and five-year implementation plan (adopted by the Rwandan Government in 2019) in collaboration with 5Rights Foundation. 
  2. EC H2020 study exploring young people's pathways into cybercrime and the human and technical drivers of cybercrime undertaken in collaboration with partners in 8 EU countries (5 million euros), this research is supported by the EC3 and Interpol (CC Driver), completion 5/23.  
  3. A study for the UK Government(DCMS) exploring adult online harms in the context of the White Paper (Davidson et al 2019 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-online-hate-harassment-and-abuse-a-rapid-evidence-assessment) 
  4. Research exploring the development of the safety technology sector in the UK (2020- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-report-reveals-uk-as-world-leader-in-online-safety-innovation), 
  5. A study funded by OFCOM developing a taxonomy of online risks to guide the work of video service providers in the context of the forthcoming UK online harms legislation completion 2/21 

FUNDING

Recent Grants 2016-21

  • 5/2020-5/23  H2020  (CC Driver) Exploring the drivers of cybercrime  (5 million euros)
  • 11/2018- 05/2019  End Violence Against Children Development of child online protection policy and implementation plan for The Govt of Rwanda. PI Prof Davidson with 5Rights(Baroness Beeban Kidron)   $180.000:
  • 9/2018- 04/2019  Department of Culture, Media  & Sport UK Council for Internet Safety Rapid Evidence Assessment  Adult online harms ( report to inform white paper on Internet safety).  PI Prof Davidson  £60,000:
  • 7/2018- 6/2019   Centre of Expertise in Child Abuse/Home Office  Exploring the context of CSA and CSE offending. Co-PI Prof Davidson  £340,000: 2/2016- 12/2017   Europol EC3 & Private investor (VC ) Pathways into financial cybercrime amongst young people, Co-PI Prof Julia Davidson  $100,000
  • 3/2016-12/2016   European Commission ISEC fund – Exploration of policing and industry practice in addressing online child abuse. PI Prof  Davidson. £670,000
  • 2018-19  WeProtect? development of a child online protection policy in Rwanda $140,000
  • 2018-19 Centre of Expertise in Child Abuse/Home Office  Developing a typology of sex offender behaviour £340,000 
  • 2018-19 DCMS  Rapid Evidence Assessment of Adult Online Harms  £60,000
  • 2017- Europol EC3 & Private investor (VC) Pathways into financial cybercrime amongst young people $100,000

TEACHING

  • Cybercrime, online harms, research methods.

PhD enquiries are welcome in these areas. 

EXTERNAL ROLES

  •  
  • Chair of the UK Council for Internet Safety Evidence Group
  • Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Research Ethics Committee
  • Academic Advisor to the Europol Cybercrime Centre (EC3)
  • Advisor (research) to the Technology Coalition. 

Publications

Browse past publications by year.

Full publications list

Visit the research repository to view a full list of publications

Research repository