Sam has a variety of responsibilities within the department. Chief amongst them is her role as Director of Postgraduate Criminology programmes (a suite of schemes offering research-led teaching in the field.)

Sam’s research focusses particularly on the causes and impacts of miscarriages of justice. In relation to the former, her work has highlighted the links between policing broadly, and criminal investigation specifically, to wrongful convictions, with clear acknowledgement of the learning opportunities they present for criminal justice professionals. In relation to the latter, she has conducted research into victims’ experiences of injustice and the long-term impacts of this.