Photo of Dr Jennifer Sigafoos

Dr Jennifer Sigafoos DPhil (Oxon), JD, MSc

Reader in Law and Associate Head of Department Law

    About

    Personal Statement

    I am a Reader in Law and Associate Head of Department. From 2023-24, I will be Director of the Charity Law and Policy Unit. My socio-legal access to justice research has recently focused on whether and how people are able to identify and access social welfare law rights, and what this means for ideas of citizenship. Over the Covid-19 pandemic, I expanded to consider the implications for population health and health justice.

    I also have an interest in charity/ non-profit law and policy. My current project considers Statutory Inquiries launched by the Charity Commission, in instances of alleged serious misconduct by charities. Previous projects have considered charitable discrimination and the Equality Act 2010.

    I joined the law school in 2012 as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate after completing my DPhil at the University of Oxford. I earned my Juris Doctor at the University of California College of Law, San Francisco. I am admitted to the Bar in the state of California (Inactive). Prior to relocating to the UK, I was Director of Public Policy and In-house Counsel at a large charity.

    Please get in touch if you are interested in pursuing a PhD in these or related areas. I have supervised a number of postgraduate research students over the years and really value the experience of learning alongside them.

    Prizes or Honours

    • Socio-Legal Studies Association Impact Prize 2023 (Socio-Legal Studies Association, 2023)
    • Faculty Learning, Teaching and Student Engagement Award (University of Liverpool Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty, 2019)