Dr Sophie Doherty (she/her) is an award-winning lecturer and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Sophie is a Lecturer in Law (Central Academic) at The Open University (OU). Prior to joining the OU, Sophie held positions at Dublin City University, and tutored on various modules at Queen’s University Belfast, and Durham University. She has presented at academic conferences and guest lectured, nationally and internationally, on her research.

Sophie’s research is primarily focused on the areas, and intersections, of sexual violence, justice, law and art. She is also involved in multiple networks and research clusters, reflecting her varied research interests. 

Dr Sophie Doherty’s research is primarily focused on the themes of, and relationship between, sexual violence, justice, law and art. To explore these themes, Sophie uses a multidisciplinary and cross jurisdictional lens, informed by feminist scholarship and practice. In 2020, Dr Doherty’s thesis, ‘Visualising Justice: Sexual Violence Law and Art’, completed at Durham University, was passed unconditionally. Her thesis provides an original and timely contribution to conceptualisations of justice for victim-survivors of sexual violence. 

Her current research considers the work of Artemisia Gentileschi, Suzanne Lacy, Tracey Emin, and the work of Elisa Iannacone, amongst others, in light of socio-legal issues. Most recently, Sophie was awarded funding from the OU alongside Elisa Iannacone, to complete their project titled, ‘Exploring the capacity of artistic methods in creating a sense of justice for victim-survivors of sexual violence.’ 

Beyond this, Sophie has been involved in various research projects, including projects on: Brexit and the border in Ireland, sexual violence and representation in conflict, gender and the United Nations, and peacekeeping. She is the Co-Founder of the Law and Humanities research cluster at the OU and is involved in various other clusters at the OU.

Sophie is an active guest peer reviewer for international academic journals, and has published in Feminist Legal Studies, Law and Literature, Law and Humanities, and Etica y Politica.