About

I work as a Lecturer in Forensic Psychology. I rejoined the University of Derby in 2025, having previously worked at the University between 2021-2022. I obtained my PhD in Psychology from the University of Sheffield, UK, in 2017. My PhD thesis focused on interviewing child witnesses in Greece.

I have previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at De Montfort University in Leicester (UK), at the Cyber Security Institute, on projects focusing on cybercrime victimisation and interviewing, Rostock University Medical Centre (Germany), at the Clinic of Forensic Psychiatry, focusing on the use of participatory research approaches in the field of forensic psychiatry, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands), Department of Criminology, on research looking at cross-cultural communication in investigative interviewing contexts.

Additionally, I have worked with the European Asylum Support Office (now known as EUAA) and Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Lesvos (Greece). Since 2022, I have been undergoing training in systemic and family psychotherapy.

Teaching responsibilities

I currently teach on the following undergraduate and postgraduate modules:

• Level 6: Psychological Perspectives of Serious and Dangerous Offenders 
• Level 7: Forensic Risk Assessment and Case Formulation 
• Level 7: Forensic Settings & Rehabilitation Interventions 

I also act as the Programme Leader for the MSc Forensic Psychology (campus) provision at the University of Derby.

Research interests

My research focuses on investigative interviewing, with a particular focus on vulnerable witnesses and culture, women and community involvement in research, while I have a growing interest in forensic mental health, especially systemic therapy in forensic settings.

Qualifications

• University of Sheffield (2017)- PhD in Psychology 

Recent conferences

• Ferra, F. & Vredeveldt, A. (2025). Testing the Efficacy of a New Training for Cross-Cultural Investigative Interviewers, 25th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology Eurocrim2025
• Ferra, F., Daum, M., Klein, O., Tomlin, J., Walde, P., Gerullis, K., Kilimann, I., Teipel, S., & Völlm, B.(2023). Early insights from a joint project on participatory research involving dementia and forensicmental health patients. International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services (IAFMHS) Conference, Reintegration and Recovery among People in Forensic Mental Health and Criminal Legal Systems

Recent publications

• Vredeveldt, A. & Ferra, F. (accepted). Adopting a Cultural Humility Approach in International Criminal Investigations. Oñati Socio-legal Series
• Ferra, F., Walde, P. Daum, M., Teipel, S., Drewelow, E., Klein, O. & Völlm, B. (accepted, BMC Psychiatry). A systematic review of participatory research involving forensic mental health patients.
• Daum, M., Ferra, F. G., Drewelow, E., Walde, P., Gerullis, K., Kilimann, I., Völlm, B., Teipel, S., & Klein, O. A. (2025). Participatory research involving people with neurodegenerative diseases and family caregivers: a systematic review. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 20(Suppl 4), e091205. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.091205
• Ferra, I. Ferra, F., Pateli, K., Katarzogianni, A. (eds) (2024). Future Feminisms: Biolabour, Technofeminist Care and Future Strategies. Digital Activism & Society, Emerald. https://doi.org/10.1108/9781837974146
• Themeli, O. & Ferra, F. (2024). Interviewing child witnesses in Greece. In Walsh, D, Bull, R. & Areh, I.(Eds) Routledge International Handbook of Investigative Interviewing and Interrogation. Routledge.
• White, C., Monteiro, A., & Ferra, F. (2024). An exploration of the rape myths effect on the #MeToomovement acceptance in the UK. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 1–12.https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2024.2346730
• Daum, M., Kilimann, I., Drewelow, E., Gerullis, K., Ferra, F., Tomlin, J., Walde, P., Völlm, B., Teipel, S.and Klein, O.A. (2023), Patient advisory board for dementia research (Part-Beirat): survey on knowledge on participatory research. Alzheimer's Dement., 19: e075267. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.075267
• Ferra, F., Drewelow, E., Klein, O., Daum, M., Walde, P., Gerullis, K., Kilimann, I., Tomlin, J., Teipel, S. & Völlm, B. (2023). Implementation and evaluation of participatory advisory boards in mental health research: a research protocol of the ‘PART-Beirat’ project. Research Involvement and Engagement. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-023-00522-6
• Ferra, F., Blades, M. & Walsh, D. (2021). The effect of the number of interviewers on children’s testimonies. Psychology, Crime and Law, 28(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2021.1909017
• Smith, R. G., Janicke, H., He, Y., Ferra, F. & Albakri, A. (2021). The Agile Incident Response for Industrial Control Systems (AIR4ICS) framework. Computers & Security, 109(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2021.102398 
• Janicke, H., Smith, R. G., Maglaras, L., Cook, A., He, Y. & Ferra, F. (2021). Agile Incident Response in Industrial Control Environments. In Maglaras, L. & Kantzavelou, I. Cybersecurity Issues in Emerging Technologies, CRC Press. 10.1201/9781003109952-3 
• Ferra, F., Wagner, I., Boiten, E., Hadlington, L., Psychoula, I., Snape, R. (2019). Challenges in Assessing Privacy Impact: Tales from the Front Lines. Security and Privacy, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/spy2.101 
• Hadlington, L., Lumsden, K., Black, A., and Ferra, F. (2018). A Qualitative Exploration of Police Officers' Experiences, Challenges, and Perceptions of Cybercrime. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice https://doi.org/10.1093/police/pay090