Sociology and Criminology staff

Dr Ashjan Ajour

Lecturer in Sociology

Ashjan Ajour is an award-winning researcher with a growing internationally recognized body of work. Her published book “Reclaiming Humanity in Palestinian Hunger strikes: Political Subjectivity and Decolonizing the Body” (Palgrave Macmillan 2021- Gender Studies Series) won the Palestine Book Award in 2022. Her research...

Professor Kehinde Andrews

Professor of Black Studies

Professor Kehinde Andrews is an academic, activist and author whose books include Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21 st Century (2018). His first book was Resisting Racism: Race, Inequality and the Black Supplementary School Movement (2013).

Professor Imran Awan

Professor of Criminology

Professor Imran Awan is one of the country’s leading criminologists and experts on Islamophobia and countering extremism.

Kyla Bavin

Lecturer of Criminology

Kyla has been a lecturer in Criminology at BCU since April 2022. Since she joined BCU, she has taught on a range of foundation, undergraduate, and postgraduate modules. She is the module leader on the following undergraduate modules: CRI4045 Key Debates in Criminology CRI5088 Understanding Crime and Criminal...

Dr Damian Breen

Associate Professor in Criminology

Damian is currently a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Birmingham City University. His research interests are focused on exploring the public positioning of Muslim interests in British contexts. In particular, his research has focused on the ways that public debates around nationhood and national identity impact on...

Dr Eveleigh Buck-Matthews

Lecturer in Criminology

Eveleigh joined BCU in December 2021 as a Lecturer in Criminology. They completed a PhD in International Studies and Social Sciences in 2018, having previously studied Peace Studies at Bradford University and Geography at University of Leicester. Eveleigh is passionate about delivering high quality and creative teaching to...

Kusminder Chahal

Senior Research Fellow

Kusminder Chahal has worked as a social and community-based researcher in a variety of organisations and places locally, nationally and internationally. This has led to a passion for understanding lived experiences, how better to exchange research knowledge, inform practice and policy and work in partnership with people who...