Max Taylor

He is a Criminal and Legal psychologist with wide international experience of research and consultancy. His early work specialised in the study of terrorism but he also became involved in the study of internet related sexual offending, and in the development of capacity building activities for disadvantaged children in conflict zones, returning later to the study of terrorism. For most of his academic career, he has been concerned with the problems of applying psychology to real life problems. In part this has involved the development and use of psychological insights in new untested situations, but there has also been a consistent thread of concern with integrating theory with practice in areas of existing practice. He was one of the first investigators exploring psychological factors in the development of terrorism, and in exploring links between situational crime analysis and terrorist behaviour. His work has been grounded in his background in behaviour analysis, but his recent work has engaged with ecological and environmental factors.  Early engagement with Sudan confirmed a further interest in development activity, and the relationship between development, and crime and political violence. He was a consultant to the UNICEF Special Representative to the Former Yugoslavia, and had a field Office in Sarajevo during the Balkans conflict. He also was responsible for research field Offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia after the war with Eritrea, and Kigali, Rwanda after the end of hostilities. He has served on a number of National and International Committees. Other activities have involved capacity building in Health Service development, and the development of elearning initiatives in Information Technology, and Terrorism Studies. Academic posts include Professor of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland (1983 to 2006) and Professor in International Relations, University of St Andrews, UK (2006-2012). He is presently Visiting Professor, Department of Security and Crime Sciences, University College, London