Ashleigh Thatcher

Biography

Ashleigh is a Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, with a BSc (Hons.) and an MSc in Forensic Psychology. She is currently working towards a PhD in Forensic Psychology, and has lecturing experience at previous institutions. Ashleigh’s main area of research is psychopathy, in which she collaborates with researchers across different institutions. She has also has previously worked with Derbyshire County Council to identify barriers that people face when seeking support for domestic violence.

Profile

Research Interests

Ashleigh’s main topic of research is psychopathy, with a focus on sexual offending, and intimate partner violence. Specifically, her PhD focuses on psychopathic personality traits that are associated with success predicting sexual coercion in intimate partner relationships. She has worked with other academics to support research outside of her main topic, including commentary on sentencing laws in the UK, and examining the use of stigmatising language. Ashleigh mainly uses quantitative research methods and has a strong interest in furthering her skills in complex statistical analysis.

Teaching

Ashleigh teaches within psychology and subject areas related to forensic psychology.

Administrative Responsibilities

Ashleigh is responsible for the creation and authoring of the bespoke forensic psychology modules offered as part of the BSc Forensic Psychology Course.

Other Activities

Conferences and Other Research Activity

Conference Presentations

  • European Association of Psychology and Law: Annual Conference, Cluj-Napoca July 2023 Thatcher, A. S., Wallace, L., & Fido, D. Psychopathic Personality as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Atypical Sexuality and Sexual Coercion Proclivity in the General Population.
  • Sexual Abuse, University of Derby: College Research Showcase November 2022 . Thatcher, A. S., Wallace, L., & Fido, D. The Moderating Effect of Hypersexuality on the Relationship Between Psychopathy and Sexual Coercion.
  • Affective, Personality & the Embodied Brain (APE): Annual Conference September 2022. Thatcher, A. S., Wallace, L., & Fido, D. The Moderating Effect of Hypersexuality on the Relationship Between Psychopathy and Sexual Coercion.

Publications

  • Hammond, C., Thatcher, A. S., & Fido, D. (2024). The “depraved killers” penalty: A commentary on the August 2023 UK sentencing changes to individuals charged with sexually motivated or sadistic murders.
  • Thatcher, A. S., Wallace, L., & Fido, D. (2023). Psychopathic Personality as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Atypical Sexuality and Sexual Coercion Proclivity in the General Population. Sexual Abuse,
  • Vione, K., Wallace, L., Mooney, R., Thatcher, A., Colman, R., Danton, I., Commarmond, A., Hammond, C., Sparks, B., & Fido, D. (2023). The effect of labelling on judgements of psychopathy as moderated by mental health stigma and baseline attitudes of psychopathy. [Pre-print].