Nicole Woodhall

Research student

Nicole Woodhall is affiliated with The Open University's Department for Public Leadership and Social Enterprise.

You can email Nicole Woodhall directly; but for media enquiries please contact a member of The Open University's Media Relations team.

Biography

Nicole is currently a full-time Manager in the National Crime Agency, working within the National Cyber Crime Unit. She is pursuing a PhD part-time whilst fulfilling this role.

Prior to commencing her PhD, Nicole completed an MSc in Forensic and Investigative Psychology. The focus of this research was threat-related attentional bias within Authorised Firearms Officers. The thesis sought to inform policy and practise that governs how Authorised Firearms Officers are treated after they have discharged their firearm.

Nicole also holds a BSc Hons in Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice. The thesis for which focused on gang crime in Liverpool North and utilised grounded theory to develop a model for combatting the issue. This contributed to organisational learning and Nicole developed a love for qualitative research methods.

Nicole has a passion for Policing and building evidenced-based research in the field, as is demonstrated by her prior academic achievements. Her current research is looking at the incidence rates of indecent images of children that come to the attention of law enforcement. The research will utilise demand and capacity theory in order assess Policing’s capability to tackle the problem as well as practically inform current policies and processes.