John Thomas won a DfE doctoral scholarship to commence in October 2024.  His thesis will explore using Ronald Dworkin’s theory of constructive interpretation to ascribe purpose to the use of increased sentences as a means of punishing hate crimes in Northern Ireland. The thesis will provide a novel view of the equilibrium (or lack of), between the harms caused by hate crimes, (to the individual, local community and society) and the punishment of hate crimes in Northern Ireland.  John’s project will be supervised by Professor Kathryn McNeilly and Dr Gift Sotonye-Frank.

John said, “I am excited to begin my PhD journey at Queen’s especially to work with Professor Kathryn McNeilly and Dr Gift Sotonye-Frank over the course of my research. I feel privileged to be awarded a Research PhD Studentship by the Department for the Economy (DfE). Knowing that the DfE supports my project is a huge confidence boost and I feel excited for the opportunities and challenges that await over the course of my PhD.”

His primary supervisor Professor Kathryn McNeilly said, “Hate crime has been a topic of recent review across the UK, including in Northern Ireland. Legal frameworks, and law’s response to such crimes generally, remain an area of ongoing discussion.  John’s PhD project responds to this timely context, drawing from theoretical tools to explore the operation of hate crime law in Northern Ireland. The supervisory team looks forward to working with John as he brings a theoretical lens to deepen understanding of this topic”.

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We welcome PhD applications from prospective students. Further details on how to apply can be found at https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofLaw/study/postgraduate-research/