Research
Reproductive justice, maternal care and assisted reproduction
Professor Alghrani’s research examines how law responds to complex questions at the intersection of healthcare, reproduction, criminal justice and children’s rights. Her work is interdisciplinary, policy-facing and frequently engages directly with healthcare professionals, regulators and policymakers to improve legal frameworks, governance and public understanding.
Professor Alghrani is internationally recognised for her work on reproductive justice and the legal regulation of maternal care and assisted reproduction. Her research explores the legal and ethical implications of abortion, fertility treatment, surrogacy, maternal healthcare and emerging reproductive technologies.
She has written extensively on developments in reproductive medicine, including uterus transplantation, fertility preservation and ectogenesis (artificial womb technology). Her monograph, Regulating the Future of Human Reproduction: Assisted Reproductive Technologies and the Law (Cambridge University Press, 2018), is a leading contribution in the field.
Her work has informed national ethical and regulatory debates, including publication with clinicians involved in the UK’s first uterus transplant and participation in a Nuffield Council on Bioethics expert working group examining the governance of stem cell-based embryo models.
2. Criminal law, healthcare regulation and patient safety
A second strand of her research examines the increasing use of law, particularly criminal law, to regulate healthcare practice and professional accountability.
Her work explores medical error, gross negligence manslaughter, legal literacy in healthcare settings, patient safety and the role of expert evidence in criminal proceedings. Her recent scholarship examines the reliability of expert evidence in high-profile criminal cases, including the Lucy Letby case, alongside broader questions surrounding expert accountability and systemic learning following medical harm.
She works closely with healthcare institutions and national regulators to improve governance and legal literacy, delivering specialist training for organisations.
3. Education law, children’s rights and SEND
More recently, Professor Alghrani has developed a significant programme of research examining the legal rights of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Her work focuses on school exclusion, Independent Review Panels, access to education, health inequalities and the legal barriers faced by vulnerable families navigating education systems. She has published on the legal framework governing school exclusions and the limitations of existing accountability mechanisms for children with SEND.
She co-led an NIHR-funded interdisciplinary project examining the impact of COVID-19 on children with SEND, which received multiple national awards for research impact. Her findings have informed parliamentary discussions and wider policy debates relating to SEND reform.
She is currently developing further research examining the legal implications of the proposed 2026 SEND reforms for children’s rights, access to education and accountability within the education system.
Research groups
Research grants
‘The Mental Capacity Act 2005 – Ten Years On’ : Building and sharing interdisciplinary knowledge between law, ethics and practice in the context of mental health regulation
WELLCOME TRUST (UK)
September 2015 - October 2015