Rate My Professor Laura Caulfield

Professor Laura Caulfield PhD serves as Dean of Research Culture and Postgraduate Research at the University of Wolverhampton, while also holding the position of Chair of the Institute for Community Research and Development. She earned her PhD from Loughborough University and has a robust academic trajectory, including roles as Head of Research and Consultancy in the School of Society, Enterprise and Environment at Bath Spa University from December 2012 to January 2016, and Associate Professor in the Division of Psychology at Birmingham City University from January 2007 to November 2012. Since 2001, Professor Caulfield has conducted research collaborations with public, private, and third-sector agencies, establishing herself as an expert in bridging the divide between research evidence, policy, and practice. Her primary academic interests encompass the evaluation of arts interventions in the criminal justice system, criminological research methods, youth violence reduction, prisoner rehabilitation through music programs, and community peer research methodologies.

Professor Caulfield employs advanced qualitative and quantitative research designs in her work, securing grants from prominent funders such as the Home Office, Economic and Social Research Council, Arts Alliance, NHS, Youth Offending Service, and Ministry of Justice. Notable publications include her book Criminological Skills and Research for Beginners: A Student's Guide (2025), and journal articles like 'The Opportunities, Challenges, and Rewards of “Community Peer Research”: Reflections on Research Practice' (2024), 'Engaging parents to reduce youth violence: evidence from a youth justice board pathfinder programme' (2023), '“I’ll live better, stay away from crime”: exploring the reintegration of former prisoners into the community through a music programme' (2023), 'Exploring the impact of music on children at risk of contact with the criminal justice system' (2023), and 'A systematic review of the characteristics and needs of older prisoners' (2020). She led the University's application for the prestigious HR Excellence in Research Award, achieved in 2025, and spearheads evaluations for initiatives such as the PACE project. Her contributions have advanced understanding and application of arts-based approaches in criminal justice rehabilitation and community wellbeing.