Rachel Burns
Lecturer

Profile

Biography

As Careers and Employability Coordinator for the department, I champion the development of employability skills in our students and ensure that the (many) careers opportunities are shared with students. I am always happy to meet with students to signpost you to appropriate opportunities and sources of careers development support.

Previous Roles:

• Lecturer - Bishop Burton College
• Visiting Lecturer - Leeds Trinity University
• Graduate Teaching Associate - University of Kent

Departmental roles

• Careers and Employability Coordinator

Social media presence

Add me on LinkedIn

Research

Overview

• Pedagogies
• Student experience
• Student wellbeing
• Widening participation
• Graduate employability

Publications

Selected publications

• Burns, R. and Cooper, M. (2026). Using Archives. In: Innovative Qualitative Methods for Criminology. 1st edn. London: Routledge. pp.13–27. [Online]. (Accessed: 18 August 2026).

Teaching

Overview

I think crime is fascinating! I like to look at the 'big' crimes and consider how power dynamics play into whether or not these are prosecuted, or punished as stringently as they might be. 

I really enjoy teaching quantitative methods because I remember a time when I found them really challenging. I like to help my students to navigate the challenges and realise the potential of quantitative research, and of their own capabilities. 

• Explaining Crime and Deviance (convenor)
• Understanding Contemporary Crime
• Introduction to Quantitative Methods
• Doing Research (particularly quantitative methods)
• Crime, Control and Globalisation
• Undergraduate Dissertation
• Postgraduate Dissertation

External Activity

Overview

• Recurring judge with the Global Undergraduate Awards for Sociology and Social Policy
• Public speaker for the charity, Coppafeel

Memberships

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy