Gráinne Perkins, PhD

Biography

Dr. Gráinne Perkins holds a PhD in Criminology from the University of Cape Town, a Masters in Public Administration from Ulster University, and a Masters of Criminology from Queen's University Belfast. She spent 15-years as an operational police officer investigating serious offenses including homicide and organized crime. Her professional experience ranges from community policing in Ireland to international work with Interpol. Her ethnographic doctoral research involved over 900 hours examining the risk and danger encountered by members of the South African Police Service in their daily routines.

Gráinne is a recipient of the 2019 Richard Block Award in recognition of outstanding thesis research. She is also a recipient of University College Dublin’s Presidents Award (1996) for Excellence in organizing extra-curricular activities and was also awarded the Commissioners Medal in 1999 by the Irish national police service (An Garda Síochána) for the attaining highest aggregate marks in all subjects. Dr Perkins is also a recipient of the 2015 Andrew Melon Scholarship and has presented at international conferences in Africa, Europe and North America. In addition to her academic work, she is an active member of the International Homicide Investigators Association and volunteers with the IF Project and Elder Friends in Washington State.

Research Interests

• Art & Antiquities Theft, Trafficking and Reparations
• Comparative Criminology
• Mental Health in Policing
• Memorialisation, Rites and Rituals
• Police Transformation
• Restorative Justice