Dr Laura Higson-Bliss
| Biography | Laura graduated from Edge Hill University in 2013 with a degree in Law (LLB Hons) and completed an LLM by Research in 2016. Her Master’s focused on justiciability and the UK judiciaries approach to understanding when a matter is outside the jurisdiction of the court. In 2019, Laura completed her PhD thesis ‘Legality, Social Media and the Criminal Law’, which explores the criminal laws application to inappropriate behaviour online. She has presented her research both nationally and internationally. Laura joined Keele Law School in 2021 as a Lecturer in Law, having previously held a Teaching Fellowship at the University of Birmingham. Prior to that, Laura was a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) at Edge Hill University. She has extensive teaching experience in Criminal Law, Law and New technologies, Media Law, Human Rights and Criminal Justice and Public Law. Laura is also a trustee for Citizens Advice Wigan. Laura has twice appeared as a panellist on the BBC’s ‘The Big Questions’ as an expert on social media and freedom of expression. She has been interviewed on several occasions for both local and national radio on the impacts of online abuse. She has also had several publications with The Conversation. Laura, alongside other colleagues at Edge Hill University, has worked with Cheshire Police to help create a teaching scheme for young people on the dangers of legal highs. She has also conducted teaching sessions with young people looking at the legal ramifications of irresponsible social media usage. Laura is a member of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Ethics Committee and lead for Law and Ethics for the Digital Society Institute here at Keele. She is also an active member of the SLS and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Laura also helps run the Law Schools social media accounts and is the International Foundation Year Link Tutor for NAVITAS.In 2023, Laura was added to the Faculty’s Research Strategy Group: Environment and Research Culture. |
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| Research Interests | Cyberbullying Hate Speech Non-Consensual Imagery (Revenge Porn) Aspects of Employment Law and Social Media Defamation Cyber Harassment and Cyber Stalking Trolling Privacy Social Media Policies Freedom of Expression Online Harms The Online Safety Bil |
| Teaching and Learning | UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING: Criminal Law (Module Leader) Law and New Technologies Foundations of Law (Module Leader) University Research Portfolio Transnational Crime Legal Essentials Advanced Criminal Law Social Media and the Law (2023/24) POSTGRADUATE TEACHING: AI and New Technologies Safeguarding Adults Contemporary Issues in Child Law. |