{"id":9611,"date":"2026-02-09T16:54:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T16:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/humanities-blog\/?p=9611"},"modified":"2026-02-09T16:54:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T16:54:34","slug":"megans-phd-exploring-policy-and-criminology-in-greater-manchester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/humanities-blog\/2026\/02\/09\/megans-phd-exploring-policy-and-criminology-in-greater-manchester\/","title":{"rendered":"Megan’s PhD exploring policy and criminology in Greater Manchester"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Megan Hadfield, PhD Criminology, shares her insights on the journey to PhD study, the nature of her research and the balance between research study and social life.<\/h3>\n
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I thought after my master’s I was done with academia – I started a job and after a year or so I missed researching and having autonomy over what I was learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Where were you before starting your PhD, did the PhD follow on from your master’s study?\u00a0<\/h3>\n

I completed by bachelor’s in Modern Languages at The University of Sheffield and my MA Criminology at The University of Manchester. I thought after my master’s\u00a0I was done with academia. My master’s was amazing and set me up with so many skills, then I started a job and after a year or so I missed researching and having autonomy over what I was learning. My PhD research is a lead on from my MA dissertation.<\/p>\n

What was the motivation for staying with The University of Manchester for your PhD?\u00a0<\/h3>\n

I think my supervisor Rose Broad (Prof Rosemary Broad<\/a>) was the motivation behind choosing Manchester. I didn’t really consider anywhere else, Rose had emailed me about something else and I had mentioned I wanted to leave the role I was in. She mentioned a PhD, and we had a long conversation and I decided to go for it. Knowing I had Rose supporting me and that she would build my supervisory team around her experience was what made me sure I chose well.<\/p>\n

Can you provide an overview of your project and research, highlighting the key themes and objectives of your work?<\/h3>\n

My research is looking at the interrelationship between immigration policy, destitution, and exploitation, within Greater Manchester. My research questions are currently moving parts, and as I conduct more interviews they shift even more (which is all part of the PhD process). I guess my main aim for this research is to platform voices of lived experience of these various systems; to spend time hearing their stories, and utilising these stories to contribute meaningfully and tangibly to policy, whether that be locally or regionally.<\/p>\n

This research stems from my years of volunteering at a homeless charity in central Manchester. I started in 2019, and just noticed the stark disparities between UK and non-UK nationals accessing support. My MA dissertation was the beginning of this journey, speaking to professionals, and since then policies have become worse, more restricting, and dangerous, so I am really glad I have been able to engage with those with lived experience. In short my research comes from a feeling of helplessness which I think we all experience, and a desire to do something, in a capacity that suits my capabilities.<\/p>\n

I wouldn’t say my research is separate from other academic disciplines, I keep saying throughout my research that talking about immigration, destitution, or exploitation through a purely criminological lens would be unwise. I think that the angle in which I am looking at this is different, I have my own theoretical perspectives which I am applying to the area, drawing on works from outside of Criminology also. Mainly, I think the experience I bring with me from my work in the NGO sector has allowed me to redress this issue, opening up the discussion to new ideas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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What have been the highlights of the PhD experience so far?\u00a0<\/h3>\n