Core programmes
CREST’s work is structured by five Programmes of activity. At the core of these Programmes are researchers in criminology, computer science, international relations, law, management, politics and religion, and psychology at six UK universities (Lancaster, Bath, Birmingham, Cranfield, Portsmouth and the West of England [UWE]). Each of these institutions houses large, established communities and infrastructure for conducting social science research into security threats.
To complement the research within each Programme, CREST fosters an active community of doctoral researchers. These studentships are defined by three principles, they: (1) undertake longer-term, high quality research that are more associated with a sense of ‘unknown’; (2) focus on topics and issues at the intersection of two or more Programme areas; and, (3) are constructed to give the best possible start to an academic career. Our focus on topics at the intersection of Programme areas reflects CREST’s interdisciplinary focus and our belief that the greatest opportunities for novel contributions lie at the boundaries of existing literatures.
The five programmes are:
- Actors and Narratives — led by Dr Cerwyn Moore at the University of Birmingham.
- Ideas, Beliefs and Values in Social Context — led by Professor Kim Knott at Lancaster University.
- Understanding and Countering Online Behaviour — led by Professor Adam Joinson at the University of Bath.
- Eliciting Information — led by Professor Aldert Vrij at the University of Portsmouth.
- Protective Security and Risk Assessment — led by Dr Debi Ashenden at University of Portsmouth.