Dr Katie McBride

Short biography

Dr McBride is an early career academic having recently successfully published work related to hate and harm and undertaking research specifically examining the experiences of trans individuals in society. A publication for the International Review of Victimology (McBride, 2019) addresses the harms associated with mediated representations of transgender identity. Dr McBride is the Joint Portfolio Lead for Criminology and Professional Policing Programmes at the University at Plymouth and has taught on a range of modules across the Criminology Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programme. Dr McBride is also the School of Society and Culture lead for Employability.

Dr McBride is a member of the British Society of Criminology (BSC) and the International Network for Hate Studies (INHS) and has presented initial findings of her PhD research, in addition to the Critical Hate Studies theoretical framework developed with her colleague Prof Zoë James, to a national audience at the BSC annual conference in 2015 and 2018 and internationally at the INHS biennial conferences in 2016 and 2018 and most recently at the American Society of Criminology (ASC) in 2019.

Prior to joining academia, Katie had an established career as an equality and human rights practitioner, as a community engagement and development, and policy officer in the public sector before joining the third sector to become Chief Executive officer of the regional equality and human rights body, Equality South West, which supported community activism across the spectrum of protected characteristics.

Katie has also held Non-Executive Director roles at Plymouth Community Homes; supporting their work to provide quality affordable housing to residents of Plymouth at the surrounding area. Katie Chaired the Customer Focus Committee and was Deputy Director before her retirement in 2021.

Qualifications

PhD Criminology 'A critical analysis of harms experienced by transgender individuals'.

Prior to returning to the University of Plymouth to undertake her PhD, Katie was Chief Executive of the regional equality and human rights body, Equality South West. Here Katie championed equality and advanced the human rights agenda at a local, regional and national level amongst public, private and third sectors. 

Professional membership

Member of British Society of Criminology

Member of International Network for Hate Studies

Roles on external bodies

Plymouth Community Homes, Non-Executive Director (Aug 2011 - Sept 2020)

Plymouth Community Homes, Chair of Customer Focus Committee (Sept 2014 - Sept 2020)

Plymouth Community Homes, Vice Chair (Nov 2017 - Sept 2020)

Teaching interests

• Crime in context
• Researching crime and criminal justice
• Systemic violence
• Hate Crime
• Working for justice
• County lines
• Women and crime
• Inequalities

Staff serving as external examiners

Teesside University

Research interests

• Transgender equality
• Discrimination 
• Human rights
• Social harm
• Gender diversity