Dr Donna Youngs

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About
Teaching and learning
Research
Business, knowledge transfer and international
Professional practice, knowledge exchange and impact
Leadership and management
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About

 I am an Investigative Psychologist interested in modelling human behaviour and its psychological and social correlates including the underlying human narratives which drive it. 

We are developing ways of actually measuring the often hidden narratives which nonetheless drive, script  and shape both our lives and -in destructive variant-those of the violent and criminal.

Much of my research has focused on the ways in which psychology can inform investigations, commonly known as offender profiling, the modelling of psychological styles of violent and sexual offences from stalking through to serial homicide. 

I have published over 75 academic publications including six books and lectured to academic and police audiences around the world. I have contributed expert testimony to a number of high-profile legal cases including the reconsideration of the evidence against the Lockerbie bomber.

Drawing on my research speciality I have been the expert psychologist on 20 television series including channel 4 Hunted, BBC one's Murder Mystery and My Family, channel 5 Robbie Coltrane's Critical Evidence as well as numerous Netflix and CBS documentary series and one-off documentaries most recently ITVs re-examination of the murder of Jill Dando.

The research methodologies and theories of human behaviour I drew on to model these patterns of destructive criminal actions are now being applied to the modelling of people's life narratives and Human Kindness.

I am currently developing a Kindness Curriculum for Schools based on her recent research and publications in this new area. This initiative is being partnered with the Kindness Research Foundation and the personal foundation of a member of the Royal household. 

Academic responsibilities

Senior Lecturer

Qualifications

  • Phd
  • Chartered Forensic Psychologist
  • HEA fellow

Teaching and learning

•   Research Director, Human Kindness Research Foundation and Senior Lecturer, University of Kingston, 2021-present (part time role)

•   Reader, Associate Director, International Research Centre for Investigative Psychology, 2012-2020

•   Research Leader, University of Huddersfield, 2008-2012

•   EPSRC Research Fellow, University of Liverpool, Department of Psychology 2006-2008

•   Post Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Liverpool, Department of Psychology 2004-2006

•   Lecturer at the University of Liverpool, Department of Psychology 2003- 2004;

•   Post Doctoral Research Fellow   University of Liverpool, Department of Psychology 2002-3

•   Research Assistant,  University of Liverpool, Department of Psychology 2000- 2001

Qualifications and expertise

  • HEA Fellow

Undergraduate courses taught

Research

•   Research Director, Human Kindness Research Foundation and Senior Lecturer, University of Kingston, 2021-present (part time role)

•   Reader, Associate Director, International Research Centre for Investigative Psychology, 2012-2020

•   Research Leader, University of Huddersfield, 2008-2012

•   EPSRC Research Fellow, University of Liverpool, Department of Psychology 2006-2008

•   Post Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Liverpool, Department of Psychology 2004-2006

•   Lecturer at the University of Liverpool, Department of Psychology 2003- 2004;

•   Post Doctoral Research Fellow   University of Liverpool, Department of Psychology 2002-3

•   Research Assistant,  University of Liverpool, Department of Psychology 2000- 2001

Qualifications and expertise

  • Investigative Psychology
  • Criminal and Life Narratives
  • Human Kindness Modelling

Business, knowledge transfer and international

International Keynotes and Invited Presentations

Youngs, D. (2006). Contemporary Challenges in Investigative Psychology. Keynote to European Association Psychology and Law, Liverpool, UK

Youngs, D. (2009) Decay Functions in Geographical Profiling of Volume Crime. To Crime Mapping Conference of US National Institute of Justice, New Orleans, USA

Youngs, D. (2009). Studying Organised Crime Networks. To DOP Network, Lapland, Norway.

Youngs, D (2010) Invited international participant, International Symposium of Predictive Policing, US National Institute of Justice, Los Angeles, USA

Youngs, D. (2010). Operational Potential of Investigative Psychology. To International Association Crime Analysts Conference, Texas, USA

Canter, D and Youngs, D. (2011) Developments in Investigative Psychology. To National Police Research Institute of Japan. Tokyo (presented by David Canter)

Canter, D and Youngs, D. (2011) . Advances in the Psychology of Investigations and Geographical Offender Profiling.  Spanish Society of Forensics,  Madrid, Spain. (presented by David Canter)

Youngs, D. (2011). Investigative Psychology approaches to Interviewing and Offender Spatial Behaviour. To Society Police Psychology conference, Chiacago, USA

Youngs, D. Pathways to Terrorist Radicalisation and Disengagement. To Symposium on Preventive Detention, Onati, Spain, June 2013

Youngs, D. Investigative Psychology: From Offender Profiling to the Analysis of Criminal Action. To the 6thCracow Conference of Psychology and Law, Poland, June 2013

Youngs, D. (2014). The Narratives of Homicide. To Symposium of South Africa Police, Johannesburg, South Africa, February 2014

Youngs. D.(2014) Personal Constructs of Terrorist Radicalisation (with Sarangi, S and Canter, D.) Contemporary forms of protest in the Euro-Asian space: challenges for social science, psychology and humanities research conference, Hamburg, Germany, 2014

Youngs, D. (2015) Investigative Psychology: Psychopathy and the Narrative Paradigm, Conference of the Forensic Psychology Society of Brazil, Jao Pessoa, Brazil

Enterprise and Knowledge Transfer

Dr Youngs has participated in (and led) 7 one-day workshops with Computer Scientists on the translation of key forensic and investigative psychology ideas into Decision Support systems. She has consulted with a major police force to develop software systems based on Investigative Psychology principles that will be used in live investigations.

IRCIP hosts international conferences approximately every 18 months for academics and professionals. We have also hosted these events in San Francisco and will host another in New York in 2016. 

Dr Youngs has run one-day conferences (6 per year) on introductory level forensic and investigative psychology. As part of these, to date, she communicated forensic psychological knowledge to approximately 2000 Psychology students and received highly positive feedback.

She prepared material for presentations to local government authorities and intervention agencies including the Safer Merseyside Partnership, Liverpool City Council and the Ministry of Defence.  She co-authored External Reports to the Army, Safer Merseyside Partnership, Liverpool City Council.

Dr Youngs worked with the commercial sector on the detection of fraud, as well as worked with market research agencies to show them advanced statistical and psychological methodologies appropriate for their work.

Professional practice, knowledge exchange and impact

Enterprise and Knowledge Transfer

Dr Youngs has participated in (and led) 7 one-day workshops with Computer Scientists on the translation of key forensic and investigative psychology ideas into Decision Support systems. She has consulted with a major police force to develop software systems based on Investigative Psychology principles that will be used in live investigations.

IRCIP hosts international conferences approximately every 18 months for academics and professionals. We have also hosted these events in San Francisco and will host another in New York in 2016. 

Dr Youngs has run one-day conferences (6 per year) on introductory level forensic and investigative psychology. As part of these, to date, she communicated forensic psychological knowledge to approximately 2000 Psychology students and received highly positive feedback.

She prepared material for presentations to local government authorities and intervention agencies including the Safer Merseyside Partnership, Liverpool City Council and the Ministry of Defence.  She co-authored External Reports to the Army, Safer Merseyside Partnership, Liverpool City Council.

Dr Youngs worked with the commercial sector on the detection of fraud, as well as worked with market research agencies to show them advanced statistical and psychological methodologies appropriate for their work

Professional and scholarly affiliations

  • BPS
  • HEA

Leadership and management

Academic Administrative Roles and Responsibilities

Director, Canter-Youngs Doctoral Program, International Research Centre for Investigative Psychology, University of Huddersfield, 2009-date

Course Director MSc Investigative Psychology University of Huddersfield, 2009- 2013

 

Overall Co-ordinator for Combined Honours Final Year Projects in the Psychology dept at The University of Liverpool

 

Undergraduate Module Moderator-Developmental Psychology in the Psychology dept. at The University of Liverpool

Internal Examiner Investigative Psychology PhD and MPhil theses

 

Established International Investigative Psychology Seminar Series. These 5 one-day events, devised and run for the M.Sc. Investigative Psychology and M.Sc. Forensic Behavioural Science courses, bring international police officers and academics to the Centre for Investigative Psychology.

Qualifications and expertise

  • Director Phd program
  • Associate Director International Research Centre for Investigative Psychology

University responsibilities

  • Phd supervision
  • MSc

Public and CIVIC roles

  • Expert Witness