Dr Sarah Kelleher

Sarah completed her BA in Applied Psychology at University College Cork (Ireland) and her MSc in Forensic Psychology at the University of York. She started her PhD at the University of Kent in 2019, which examined the impact of rape myths on jury decision-making. She joined the School of Psychology as a Lecturer in Forensic Psychology in 2022. 

• Rape myth acceptance
• Sexual violence
• Jury decision-making

Sarah's primary research interests are in the area of forensic psychology. She is particularly interested in cognitive biases surrounding sexual violence and the "justice gap" for sexual assault cases. The aim of her PhD research is to understand how rape myths impact juror decision making and develop an educational intervention programme for jurors in sexual assault cases.

• PSYC6440: Stage II Reflective Logbook (Module Convenor)
• PSYC6370: Forensic Psychology - Theoretical and Applied Perspectives (Module Convenor)
• PSYC8050: Psychology of Criminal Conduct
• PSYC8060: Psychology of Law and Justice
• PSYC8470: Forensic Cognition - Theory, Research and Practice (Module Convenor)
• PSYC8620: MSc Reflective Logbook (Module Convenor)

Grants and Awards

• 2024 Awarded Student Presentation Award, European Association of Psychology and Law.
• 2021 Marnie Rice Student Poster Award, Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers.
• 2019 School of Psychology Graduate Teaching Scholarship, University of Kent.

Conference Presentations 

• Kelleher, S. M., & Ó Ciardha, C. (2024). Understanding and minimising the impacts of rape myths in juror decision-making [Conference Presentation]. European Association of Psychology and Law 34th Annual Conference, Lisbon, Portugal.  
• Simitsis, S., & Kelleher, S. (2019). Making Wise Choices-Sexual: The Development of MWC-S Offence Chain Assessment. Presentation at National Autistic Society's 18th International Offenders with an Intellectual and/or Developmental Disability Conference, Birmingham, UK.

Conference Posters

• Panda, K. & Kelleher, S. M. (2024). Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel?: Exploring attitudes of forensic professionals towards jury education about rape myths in sexual violence trials. St Mary’s Centre 21st Annual Conference, Manchester, UK.  
• Kelleher, S.M., Ó Ciardha, C. (2021). A Structural Equation Model of Rape Myths in Juror Decision-Making. Poster Presentation at the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers 40th Annual Research and Treatment Conference, US [virtual]. 
• Kelleher, S.M. (2019). After #MeToo: Belief in Sexual Harassment Myths and Rape Myths. Poster Presentation at the Psychological Society of Ireland's Annual Conference, Kilkenny, Ireland.