April Murray Cantwell

April Murray Cantwell is a research fellow (OSINT and Policing) in CENTRIC. She has a BSc in Government from University College of Cork and an LLM in Human Rights and Criminal Justice from Queen’s University, Belfast. Currently, she works on various EU-funded initiatives within CENTRIC’s extensive project portfolio. Previous to her role in CENTRIC, April was an Associate Lecturer in the Criminology and Law Department in Sheffield Hallam University. In 2021, she was nominated for Sheffield Hallam’s Inspirational Teaching Award. From 2013 -2015, she worked in INTERPOL Headquarters in Lyon, France. She worked on projects for the International Partnerships and Development Directorate and the Human Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation Directorate. She was responsible for conducting due diligence on public and private entities and supporting internal project proposals. Her contributions led to significant funding being allocated to the Child Sexual Exploitation Team under the leadership of Ret Det. Mr Robert Shilling, the former head of Crimes against Children. In 2016, she was a research assistant for the delivery of Ireland’s first National Patient Experience Survey. Her role involved liaising with senior management, organising the logistics for research activities and writing key documentation pertaining to the project activities, research including promotional materials. April is a Thomas Whalen Scholarship recipient and participated in the New York State Assembly Legislative Internship programme in Albany, New York. She was recognised for her exceptional performance in supporting Assemblyperson, Deborah J. Glick of the 66th District. April is also a former Garda Reserve in Ireland’s National Police Force – An Garda Síochána. She served eight years across two regions, Munster, and Leinster. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD – a comparative study on policies governing the monitoring of two groups; persons with convictions and asylum seekers across three jurisdictions, Italy, England, Wales and the Netherlands.