Dr Rosie Cowan is a lecturer in law at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), where she recently submitted her doctoral thesis which explores potential impact of rape myth belief on (mock) juror decision-making in rape trials, the first research of its kind with members of the public in Northern Ireland.

The theory behind the project is explained in a chapter in E Dowds, R Killean and A McAlinden (eds), Sexual Violence on Trial: Local and Comparative Perspectives (Routledge 2021) while key findings are included in a chapter in N Monaghan (ed), Challenges in the Jury System: UK Juries in Comparative Perspective (Routledge forthcoming 2024).

Rosie also undertook her Master’s in Law at QUB: her dissertation examined the effects of rape complainants pre-recording their evidence and cross-examination rather than testifying in court.

Prior to returning to higher education, Rosie was the Guardian Ireland correspondent then crime correspondent. She obtained an MA in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh before embarking on her journalism career.

Criminal Justice & Legal Reform Gender, Sexuality & Power