Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference 2025
- Legal, criminological and forensic
The annual conference of the Division of Forensic Psychology is the UK's most renowned event for forensic psychologists.
It is a gathering of international practitioners and researchers who aim to share, collaborate, and drive excellence in our field.
The conference location rotates to a different nation of the UK each year, and in 2025 we are delighted to be returning to Scotland, specifically the Crowne Plaza, Congress Rd, Glasgow, G3 8QT.
As usual, the conference timetable will be packed with presentations on a range of relevant topics, and we will be announcing our not to be missed keynote speakers shortly.
We pride ourselves on offering an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere, and our conference social events reflect this too - there will be opportunities to meet friends and colleagues in an informal, relaxed setting around the main conference timetable.
If you are interested in presenting at the conference, you can submit an abstract for review by
following the information in the Submissions tab.
We are accepting submissions across the entire discipline and have no set theme.
The Abstract submission deadline is 14 March 2025.
Our Division of Forensic Psychology Chair, Sally Tilt recommends the conference because:
"I strongly believe that forensic psychology, and the people at the centre of our services, do better when we work together. I will never be an expert in every part of our field, but I can build a network so that I know someone who is. The Division of Forensic Psychology conference is a welcoming, open, opportunity to refresh our knowledge and to garner energy to move our field forward, through connections with others'.
Please join us at our conference on 1-3 July 2025.
Key submission dates
- 11 October 2024: On-line submissions system opens
- 14 March 2025: Deadline for abstract submissions (Including symposia)
- 28 March 2025: Notification of outcome
- 11 April 2025: Draft programme released
- 04 June 2025: Successful poster submitters to provide digital copy of poster
- 13 June 2025: Registration deadline
Authors are strongly advised to register on the on-line submission system and begin preparing their submissions well in advance of the following deadlines.
If you wish to submit more than one abstract, please complete individual submissions for each.
How to submit
Please ensure you read the submission guidelines below before submitting, including the reviewer guidelines. These allow you to see how your submissions will be reviewed.
Read the submission guidelines.
Submissions must be made via the online application portal - Oxford Abstracts.
For an successful poster submitters, you must email a digital copy of your poster to [email protected] by the above deadline.
Please note: you will need to create an account if this is your first time submitting.
Registration fees
The registration fee includes daily lunches, refreshments and access to all content.
All social events are booked separately via the registration platform in the "add-on" section.
All prices are inclusive of VAT and exclusive of booking fees.
1 day attendance (any day)
- Concession Member - 1 day attendance: £42
- DFP Member - 1 day attendance: £100
- BPS Member - 1 day attendance: £145.99
- Non-BPS Member - 1 day attendance: £226
Full conference attendance
- Concession Member - full conference: £115
- DFP Member - full conference: £270
- BPS Member - full conference: £390
- Non-BPS Member - full conference: £540
How to register
Please note: when booking online, you are leaving the BPS website and will be directed to Oxford Abstracts.
DFP booking is being provided by Oxford Abstracts on behalf of BPS.
Both the BPS and Oxford Abstracts terms and conditions and privacy policies will apply.
Dr Chris Dean
Talk Title - TBC
Bio - Dr Chris Dean [BSc, MSc, PhD, C.Psychol (Foren), CSci, AFBPsS] is a consultant forensic psychologist, senior fellow at the Global Center of Cooperative Security and director of Identify Psychological Services Ltd. For 25 years he has worked in diverse roles primarily for or with prison and probation services, parole boards and secure hospitals.
From 2008 – 2015 he was a senior manager in the headquarters of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service for England and Wales. He was a member and then head of a specialist team that pioneered the development and implementation of innovative, evidence-based assessments and interventions to prevent terrorism, violent extremism, and group-based violence - including the Extremism Risk Guidelines (ERG 22+) and the Healthy Identity Intervention (HII).
Since 2015 his roles have included providing technical assistance and consultancy to government agencies, correctional services, and civil society organisations globally.
This currently includes supporting and strengthening the capacities of prison psychologists working in North Africa and advising the United Nations on community-based assessments and interventions implemented in Southern Asia.
He has authored many academic, policy and practice-orientated publications, including the Council of Europe's Handbook for Prison and Probation Services Regarding Radicalization and Violent Extremism and the British Psychological Society's Ethical Guidelines for Applied Psychological Practice in the field of Extremism, Violent Extremism and Terrorism.
Professor Gavin Oxburgh
Talk Title - TBC
Bio - Gavin is an HCPC-registered Forensic Psychologist, Professor of Police Science, and Assistant Director of The Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research, leading its criminal justice theme.
A BPS-registered Expert Witness, he provides expert testimony in forensic and legal psychology both in the UK and internationally.
A 22-year veteran of the Royal Air Force Police, Gavin specialised as a detective in child protection and sexual offences serving throughout the UK and Europe.
He is a Visiting Professor at King's College London, and the Norwegian Police University College, Oslo. From 2014 to 2021, he served on the BPS Division of Forensic Psychology Training Committee, including as their Deputy Chair for 4 years.
In 2007, he co-founded the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group, which he chaired until 2019, and in 2021, he founded ETiCA (Global), a social enterprise delivering evidence-based training, consultancy, and advocacy services for policing, law enforcement, and justice professionals. Since 2024, under the auspices of ETiCA (Global), he has been working extensively with partners in the USA and across the Eastern Caribbean training police and law enforcement agencies on the effective investigation of wildlife crime.
Gavin has published extensively in areas of forensic and legal psychology, and human rights (e.g., communication, interviewing, false & recovered memory, anti-torture initiatives, military veterans) securing approximately £5m in research funding. He remains a member of the international steering committee that developed The Mendez Principles on effective interviewing for investigations and information gathering.
He has been involved in training numerous organisations in his specialist areas, including the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, police and judicial bodies worldwide. Since July 2021, he has been an Executive Board member of the International Chiefs of Police (IACP), International Managers of Police Academy and College Trainers (IMPACT) Section.
Jessica Woodhams
Talk Title - Developing an AI-enabled decision-support tool for crime linkage with sexual offences
Bio - Jess Woodhams is a Professor of Forensic Psychology at the University of Birmingham, UK.
She has researched the theoretical underpinnings as well as the practice of crime linkage for more than 20 years.
She has had the pleasure of collaborating with police forces from the UK and many other countries in doing this work and has a passion for co-producing research and interventions that bring positive change to policing practice.
She has received several prizes and awards for her translation of psychological research into practice.
She co-edited the first book regarding crime linkage with Prof. Craig Bennell and set up the Crime Linkage International Network more than 10 years ago with Prof. Matt Tonkin and Dr Amy Burrell, which is still a live network that meets at least quarterly and has expanded in its country membership to 14 countries.
She regularly collaborates with researchers from other disciplines including computer scientists, criminologists and linguists. In her role at the University of Birmingham, she has held several leadership positions including Director of the Centre for Applied Psychology, Director of Research and she is now the Director of a new centre for doctoral training plus for understanding behaviour called Centre-UB, which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
The Division of Forensic Psychology invites all newly qualified psychologists to attend our Newly Qualified Pre-Event Workshop.
This workshop will take place at the Crowne Plaza on the morning of 1 July 2025, prior to the conference starting.
You can register via the "add on" sections of the main conference registration here.
The Division of Forensic Psychology is offering bursary positions for trainee psychologists, full time students and psychological assistants.
You must be a member of the DFP to apply.
Presenters
For presenters/submitters looking to apply for a bursary, please answer the bursary-specific questions at the bottom of the submission form.
Delegates
For anyone looking to attend the DFP Annual Conference without presenting, and wishes to apply for a bursary, please fill out this form.
The Division of Forensic Psychology has a number of allocated rooms on-site at the Crowne Plaza Glasgow.
To book, please call the hotel and speak to the in-house reservations team on 0141 306 9988 between 9am-6pm Monday – Friday (Saturday 9am – 4.30pm).
Want to speak to one of the team?
Contact us at [email protected].