About
Professor Lella Nouri is a Professor of Criminology at Swansea University and Co-Director of the Cyber Threats Research Centre (CYTREC).
Her research examines extremism, hate crime, and counter-extremism policy, with a particular focus on how extremist and hateful narratives are communicated online and through visual imagery in public spaces. She has pioneered innovative, impact-driven projects including StreetSnap, a digital platform for reporting and tackling hateful graffiti, and Flip the Streets, a community-led mural initiative reclaiming public spaces from hate. Both have received national recognition, external funding, and are influencing policy and practice across the UK.
Professor Nouri plays a prominent role in shaping public policy and practice. She is a Welsh Government Research Expert on the External Accountability Group for the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan, chairing the Crime & Justice and Culture, Heritage & Sport sub-groups. She is also an academic representative on the Home Office Academic-Practitioner Counter Extremism Network and a member of the Wales Counter-Terrorism Evidence-Based Group. She also contributes expertise to the UK Home Office’s Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE), aligning academic research with national security priorities.
Her leadership extends across research, teaching, and institutional strategy. She founded and directed the UK’s first MA in Cyber Crime & Terrorism, embedding employability, interdisciplinarity, and stakeholder engagement at its core. She has supervised over 10 PhD students and mentored colleagues across disciplines, shaping inclusive research and teaching environments. As Co-Chair of SIREN, Swansea University’s Race Equality Network, and a Founding Fellow of the Morgan Advanced Studies Institute (MASI), she has driven institutional strategies on equity, diversity, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Professor Nouri has secured over £1.3 million in competitive research and innovation funding, produced high-impact publications and policy reports, and translated research into practice through community partnerships, training programmes, and digital innovation. Her contributions have been recognised with multiple awards, including Welsh Ethnic Minority Woman of the Year for Social & Humanitarian Achievement (2022) and Highly Commended in the inaugural Wales Safer Communities Awards (2023).
