Rate My Professor Hannah Wishart

Dr Hannah Wishart is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Sunderland, Faculty of Business and Law, where she serves as Programme Leader for the LLB degree. She holds a PhD from the University of Manchester, an LLM, an LLB, and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) status. Prior to her current role, she was a PhD candidate and teaching assistant in Law at the University of Manchester. As a qualified criminal lawyer, she sits as a Magistrate and has organized academic events, including a 2023 counter-terrorism conference at the University. Wishart chairs the University's Canadian Law Society alumni group and contributes to various professional networks.

Her research specializes in the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and criminal law, particularly youth justice, criminal responsibility of developmentally immature children, diminished responsibility, and neurolaw reforms. Key publications include co-editing Neurolaw in the Courtroom: Comparative Perspectives on Vulnerable Defendants (Routledge, 2023) with Colleen M. Berryessa; editing International Perspectives of Neuroscience in the Youth Justice Courtroom (Routledge, 2025) with Ray Arthur; and articles such as 'Young Minds, Old Legal Problems: Can Neuroscience Fill the Void?' (Journal of Criminal Law, 2016), 'Criminal Culpability, Criminal Attempts and the Erosion of the Choice Theory' (Journal of Criminal Law, 2013), 'Was the Abolition of the Doctrine of Doli Incapax Necessary?' (UK Student Law Review, 2012), and 'The Defence of Diminished Responsibility, Developmentally Immature Children' (2023). She is a member of the Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA), co-chairs the Law, Society & Vulnerable People Research Hub, and serves on committees for the Neuroethics Network. In 2024, Wishart received a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant of £9,970, co-applicant with Dr Helen Williams, for the project 'Police Charging Decisions of Children and Diversion: Impact of Age and Maturity'. Her work influences discussions on neuroscience's role in UK youth justice systems through conference presentations, webinars, and contributions to edited volumes like Neuroscience in Criminal Justice Systems.