Research
Research Interests
I have research interests in the following broad areas:
• Drug/substance markets/supply (laws / policy / CJS approaches / macro-micro analyses of illicit drug markets and drug suppliers / conceptual development of / cross-cultural comparisons / policing of)
• Vulnerability and exploitation in drug markets /vulnerability policing / Child Criminal Exploitation in drug markets
• Drug/substance use (policy / initiation / cultures / to crime and violence / transitions / meaning / effects / history / cross-cultural comparisons). Includes drug use in sport and/or in public gyms.
• Drug/substance use treatment (policy / ’recovery’ / approaches to / evaluations /history of)
• Harm reduction interventions - particularly in relation to the use of steroids and other image and performance enhancing drugs
• Harm reduction interventions - particularly in relation to policing vulnerability in drug markets
• Cultural change and social problems
• Social, Cultural and Criminological Theory
• How globalisation is affecting change around notions of ‘civility’ and the so-called civilising process; international relations of
• Conceptualising deviance, fear and the ‘other’
• Research methods (innovation/mixed/qualitative)
• Interdisciplinary research (forensic science; health; public health)
• The theoretical interconnections of risk and fear
• Transgression, culture and history (spitting and other maligned behaviours)
• Agency/structure and socio-legal understanding of crime
Grants 2010-Present
• Awarded August 1 2025 – March 31 2027 - National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (Three Research Schools Prevention Research Programme. Co-production and implementation of a culturally adapted alcohol toolkit for mental health and community organisations. Joint Lead PI’s: Dr Laura Goodwin (Lancaster) and Dr Jo-Anne Puddephat (Edge Hill). CI’s: Dr Krysia Canvin (Keele University), Dr Juliana Onwumere (King’s College London), Dr Jayati Das-Munshi (King’s College London), Prof Ross Coomber (University of Liverpool), Dr Stacey Jennings (Queen Mary University of London), Dr Sahir Hussain (Lancaster University) Nozomi Tolworthy (Public partner). £249,443.08
• Awarded May 2024 - November 2024 - National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Three Research Schools Prevention Programme. 'Co-development of a culturally appropriate alcohol screening toolkit'. Joint PIs: Dr Laura Goodwin (Lancaster University) and Dr Jo-Anne Puddephatt (Edge-Hill University). CIs: Dr Juliana Onwumere, King’s College London; Dr Jayati Das-Munshi, King’s College London; Prof Ross Coomber, University of Liverpool; Dr Krysia Canvin, Keele University, SPCR. £39,970.33
• Awarded April 2023 - ESRC Vulnerability and Policing Futures Centre (Early Career Researcher (ECR) Development Fund) - ‘Test Purchases in Undercover Drugs Policing: Reconfiguring Strategic and Operational Practice as part of the Vulnerability Agenda’. Lead PI - Dr Leah Moyle (Royal Holloway, University of London). CI - Prof Ross Coomber (University of Liverpool). £24,975
• Awarded May 2022 - April 2027 - Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) - Centre of Excellence Award - Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre. PI's Prof Adam Crawford (York & Leeds Universities) and Charlie Lloyd (York University). Prof Ross Coomber is Lead CI on the Policing Vulnerability in County lines Drug Markets project, one of the 6 major policing vulnerability projects to be carried out by the Centre. A further 25 CIs are connected to the Centre and its programme of activities. £10m.
• Awarded Oct 2021 - Alcohol Change (New Horizons funding scheme) - Understanding the association between mental health and alcohol use in Black, Asian and Minority ethnic groups. Lead PI – Dr Laura Goodwin (University of Liverpool); CI’s: Dr Jayati Das-Munshi (Kings College, University of London); Prof Ross Coomber (University of Liverpool); Dr Juliana Onwumere (Kings College, University of London); Dr Suzanne H. Gage (University of Liverpool); Ms Jo-Anne Puddephatt (University of Liverpool). £62,840.63
• Awarded Dec 2016 - Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NIMHC) - Drugs on the darknet: Assessing the global health risks of a rapidly expanding market. Lead/CIA - Dr Monica Barratt (UNSW); CIB - Dr James Martin (Macquarie); CIC -Prof Ross Coomber (Griffith University); CID - Prof Alison Ritter (UNSW); CIE - Assoc Prof Aili Malm (California State); CIF - Dr David Décary-Hétu (Montreal); CIG - Prof Judith Aldridge (Manchester) A$399,692
• Awarded Dec 2016 - Australian Institute of Criminology - The nature of illicit drug supply/suppliers and the appropriateness of current Australian criminal justice responses: 'social
supply' and sentencing. Lead PI. Also with Assoc Prof Melissa Bull (Griffith). A$52,432
• Awarded Dec 2016 - Australian Institute of Criminology - Darknet drug traders: a qualitative exploration of the career trajectories, activities and perceptions of risk and reward of online drug traders. Lead PI: Dr James Martin (Macquarie); Co-PIs: Dr Monica Barratt (University of New South Wales); Prof Ross Coomber (Griffith University); A/Prof Jakob Demant (University of Copenhagen); Dr Rasmus Munksgaard (University of Copenhagen) A$24,303
• Awarded July 2016 - Australia-China Council - Drug Crime/Dependency Debates in China: What Australian Universities can Contribute. Jointly held with Sue Trevaskes and Melissa Bull (Griffith University) A$35,000
• Awarded Aug 2014 – May 2015 - Devon & Cornwall Police - Legal-High/NPS use by persistent and prolific offenders engaged with IOMS/TurnAround Teams in Devon and Cornwall. £15,000
• Awarded July 2014 – Oct 2014 - Torbay Public Health, Torbay Council - DMRAS (Drug Market Rapid Appraisal Service) Research/analysis of the Torbay Area illicit drug markets £15,000
• Awarded Apr 2013 – Mar 2016 - Plymouth Drug and Alcohol Team / Plymouth City Council - New/Novel Psychoactive Substance (‘legal high’) use and their relation to effective drug service delivery in Plymouth £54,500
• Awarded Jan 2014 – May 2015 - Joint Commissioning & Adult Social Care Plymouth City Council - Alcohol Peer Support Pilot Evaluation. Jointly held with Allice Hocking/SERIO (Plymouth University) £8,000
• Awarded Dec 2011 - Aug 2012 - Plymouth Alcohol Champions Group and Plymouth University An exploration of the university as a risk environment for student drinking ) Jointly held with Adrian Barton - Plymouth University) £7,500
• Awarded June 2012- Dec 2012 - Plymouth Drug & Alcohol Action Team / Devon & Cornwall Constabulary - DMRAS (Drug Market Rapid Appraisal Service) Research/analysis of the City of Plymouth’s illicit drug markets £15,000
• Awarded Oct 2011 – Sept 2012 - Southend Drug and Alcohol Action Team Development and implementation of an Early Warning Drug Trend Monitoring System for Southend £12,000
• Awarded Oct 2011 – Sept 2012 - Southend Drug and Alcohol Action Team - DMRAS (Drug Market Rapid Appraisal Service) Research/analysis of Southend-on-Sea’s local drug markets £18,000
• Awarded Oct 2010 – March 2011 - Southend Drug and Alcohol Action Team - PIRAS (Public Injecting Rapid Appraisal Service). An evaluation of public injecting environments in Southend DAAT area £24,000
Grants 2000 - 2010
• Awarded June 2010 – June 2012 Cornwall Drug & Alcohol Action Team/Plymouth PCT - Independent Evaluation of Boswyns Drug and Alcohol Detoxification Unit £85,000
• Awarded April 2010 – July 2010 - Barking & Dagenham Drug & Alcohol Action Team - PIRAS (Public Injecting Rapid Appraisal Service). An evaluation of public injecting environments in Barking & Dagenham DAAT area £21,000
• Awarded April 2007 – June 2007 - Plymouth Drug & Alcohol Action Team - A mapping of public injecting environments in the City of Plymouth £3,000
• Awarded Feb 2006 – July 2007 - Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Supplying Cannabis to Young people (Joint bid made with Paul Turnbull of the Institute for Criminal Policy Research, King’s College, London £100,016
• Awarded Apr 2005 – Jun 2005 - National Treatment Agency (now part of Public Health England) - A qualitative investigation of the barriers to access of needle exchange programmes in Plymouth £20,300
• Awarded Aug 2003 - Jul 2004 British Academy ’Child Doping' in 21st Century England: an exploration of how and why over the counter medications are being used to calm or quieten infants and children. £2,628
• Awarded Sept 2001-Sept 2002 - Home Office - Estimating rates and causes of drug-related mortality amongst recently released offenders (co-applicant with National Addiction Centre and Office for National Statistics – PI Nicola Singleton) £100,000
• Awarded Mar 2001-Sept 2002 - Wellcome Trust - Helping the media represent issues around neuroscientific and other knowledge of illicit drug use and addiction in a way that reflects scientific evidence, not sensation or myth £49,776
• Awarded - Jan 2000-Jan 2001 - British Academy - An investigation into the average length of time of progression from first use of heroin through regular use and then to addicted patterns of use in a context of comparatively high purity’ £3,300
Research groups
Research grants
Development of practical toolkit to enable practitioners to assess people from ethnic minorities with mental health and alcohol problems to be appropriately supported.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)
June 2024 - October 2024
Policing Vulnerabilities and the Future of Policing as a Public Service
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
May 2022 - April 2027