Contact
Biography
I joined the School of Sociology and Social Policy in 2019, having worked at Russell Group and post-92 institutions beforehand. I hold a PhD in Criminology, MA in International Criminal Justice, and PGCHE in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
I am a member of the European and British Societies of Criminology. In relation to the latter, I was Chair of its Green Criminology Research Network for four years.
I also sit on the following advisory panels:
- Welsh Government Clean Air Advisory Panel
- Welsh Government Promoting Awareness of Air Pollution Delivery Group.
- Scottish Government Air Quality Advisory Group
Expertise Summary
My expertise lies in environmental harm more broadly and air pollution more specifically. Sitting in the field of criminology, I research the effectiveness of formal and informal social controls aimed at addressing environmental problems. This includes the more traditional 'top-down' approaches, such as law and regulation, but also those deemed 'bottom-up', such as the application of deviancy labels by 'non-elite' groups and the educational potential of citizen science.
My current research focuses on three overlapping areas:
Air Pollution - My current work explores the separate areas of wood burning stove emissions and the exposure of children to air pollution in schools. With regard to the former, my research has identified from stove appliances, looked at how people revealing this reality, and explored the . I sit on the Welsh Government's Promoting Awareness of Air Pollution Delivery Group.
My work on air pollution in schools looks at the human aspects of technological solutions. Previously, I have explored the potential for personal air quality sensors to , while my current work explores the possibility for low-cost filtration systems and provide educational opportunities.
Environmental Justice / Citizen Decision Making - I also have an interest in the decision-making procedures underpinning unequal exposures to environmental harm. This has included primary research into the treatment of and - closer to home - the injustices that arose during the felling of . Associated with this is also my writing on and the deliberative possibilities created by their activities. I am also co-editor of the first collection aimed at sensitising green criminology to issues of gender from an intersectional standpoint.
Crimes and Harms of the Powerful - As a criminologist, I have a long-standing interest in environmental crimes and harms of the powerful. My work in this area has involved mixed methods research into the regulatory system underpinning the ', its relationship with settler-colonialism, denial, and extractivist politics. My more theoretical work relates to this in that it considers how the concept of can be expanded to include instances of environmental destruction. I am currently working on resurrecting the concept of deviance to encourage environmental criminology to be more solutions orientated.
Funding
July 2025. Awarded 拢513,388.90 (Co-I) by Welsh Government (Local Air Quality Management Support Fund) to develop an air quality information system aimed at reducing air polluting behaviours and exposure (Co-I's: Dr Menna Price, Swansea University; Prof. Ian Walker, Swansea University; Prof. Paul Lewis, HWB360; Tom Price, Swansea Council; Dr Rohit Chakraborty; EarthSense).
January 2025: Awarded 拢14,192 (PI) by UKRI (HE Impact Fund) to run a workshop aimed at policy makers to communicate the findings from the domestic combustion intervention study below (Co-I's: Dr Menna Price, Swansea University; Prof. Ian Walker, Swansea University; Prof. Paul Lewis, HWB360; Tom Price, Swansea Council; Dr Rohit Chakraborty).
June 2024: Awarded 拢245,000 (PI) by Welsh Government (Local Air Quality Management Support Fund) to trial an air quality information system aimed at reducing domestic combustion emissions (Co-I's: Dr Menna Price, Swansea University; Prof. Ian Walker, Swansea University; Prof. Paul Lewis, HWB360; Tom Price, Swansea Council; Dr Rohit Chakraborty).
October 2022: Awarded 拢4,313 (PI) by ESRC (Future Impact Leaders Programme) to develop an educational semi-automated air filtration system able to meaningfully improve air quality in schools (Co-I's: Rohit Chakraborty, AirRated).
August 2021: Awarded 拢4,500 (PI) by the 糖心原创 Institute for Policy and Engagement (Policy Impact Pathways Programme) to develop and trial a pilot air quality information system ('burn alert') able to reduce domestic burning emissions across the UK (Co-I's: Dr Rohit Chakraborty, University of Sheffield).
Media Engagement:
My work regularly appears in the media, including , , , and , among others. I also occasionally write .
Recent Publications
JAMES HEYDON, ROHIT CHAKRABORTY, VIBUTI PATEL, CHANTELLE WOOD, MATTHEW WOOD and CAITLIN BUNCE, 2024. Environmental Management.
HEYDON, J., 2023. British Journal of Criminology.
EMMA MILNE, DAVIES, P., HEYDON, J., PEGGS, K. and WYATT, T., eds., 2023.
HEYDON, J., 2022. SN Social Sciences.