After completing a degree in BA Criminology & Sociology at the University of Stirling AJ developed their interests around the intricacies of life course outcomes, and marginalisation through a social justice and human rights approach. Their professional career began in Scotland providing mental health advocacy, racial justice secondary school education and developing their research experience through community research, co-production and lived experience prioritisation before moving to London to become a sexual violence advocate for global majority survivors working in a trauma focused framework and providing legal advocacy and counselling support.

AJ joined KCL through their work on the NIHR ARC South London Mental Health and Implementation Network (MHIN) programme as a Research Assistant & Peer Researcher. Within this role they are part of the team working towards co-producing evidence-based mental health interventions and catalysing and evaluating implementation of these high impact, evidence-based mental health interventions, at key stages of the life course, supra-regionally within the National Health Services. AJ worked within the PPI team and alongside the EDI lead to help ensure lived experience and equitable access and involvement is integrated at every level of the ARC MHIN programme. They are currently based in the Policy Institute as part of the ARC South London Implementation science research theme focusing on updating the Implementation Science Research Development (ImpRes)Tool and integrating the ImpRes Guide and ImpResPAC alongside developing Implementation science resources for a diverse range of audiences.

Research interests

• Mental Health and Marginalisation
• Implementation Science
• Crime and Criminal Justice Systems
• Abolition Praxis
• Queer and Black Feminist Criminology
• Decolonial Criminology
• Racial Justice

AJ is on Bluesky.

AJ Allard-Dunbar: ORCID iD | King's Research Profile