After many years at Birmingham City University, our time as lecturers has come to a close. Liam first arrived at BCU as an undergraduate student in 2010, before progressing through an MA and PhD and eventually taking on roles as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Criminology. Dan followed a similar path, combining teaching, research and academic leadership before stepping into his own lecturing career.

Over that period, we’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of students — ambitious, thoughtful and committed individuals who have gone on to make a real impact in the criminal justice sector and beyond. Seeing that progression first-hand has been one of the most rewarding aspects of our academic careers.

As this chapter ends, a new one begins. We are now focusing full-time on Ecademi — a project we first started together and which has steadily grown into a platform for education and opportunity.

Through Ecademi, we:

• Support both home and international students in navigating their journey to university.
• Collaborate with academics, authors and public figures to deliver events across the UK.
• Design and run workshops, conferences and enrichment programmes for A-level students of psychology, criminology and sociology.

Although we are stepping away from traditional university roles, Ecademi remains rooted in academia. Our vision is to build meaningful learning experiences, open new pathways, and support students at every stage of their academic journey.

This is an exciting next step for us, and one we are approaching with the same commitment we brought to our teaching. We are open to new collaborations with schools, universities, academics and individuals who share our focus on academic growth and innovation.

— Liam & Dan