Jack Cunliffe

Dr Jack Cunliffe is a Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Methods and Criminology and Director of Studies for Criminology. He has been at Kent since September 2015, after he completed his PhD in Social Policy at the London School of Economics, focusing on how area characteristics act as offending risk factors via analysis using structural equation modelling. His undergraduate degree was in mathematics. 

Prior to joining academia, he was a member of the Government Statistical Service, working in various departments including the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice. 

Although Jack has broad research interests, his two main current focuses are cybercrime and policy evaluation. On the cybercrime front, he has published work related to the online drug trade and is currently conducting research on fraud. He is the School of Social Sciences champion for the Institute of Cyber Security for Society, reflecting his active involvement in cybercrime research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

In terms of policy evaluation, Jack served as the quantitative lead on the Prison Leavers Project, funded by the Ministry of Justice, using administrative data to assess the effectiveness of various innovative prison-based interventions. He has also worked with a team evaluating police-led drug diversionary schemes, where individuals encountered by the police are diverted away from the criminal justice system and towards support services to address their drug-related issues.

Jack has collaborated and acted as a quantitative research specialist in diverse domains. These include working alongside psychologists and anthropologists studying identity fusion, collaborating with colleagues on charitable giving research, and investigating the evolving role of primary schools.

Jack teaches both criminology and methodological courses. He currently runs Technology and Cybercrime, a third-year undergraduate course that examines how information technology has transformed crime. He has also previously designed courses on youth and crime.

On the methods side, Jack convenes, or has convened, courses at various levels, ranging from introductory modules to more advanced topics, including multivariate analysis, the general linear model, and causal analysis.

As the Director of Studies for Criminology, Jack has collaborated closely with colleagues to oversee a comprehensive revamp of the entire criminology curriculum. He also welcomes PhD applicants with a focus on cybercrime and/or policy evaluation.