Mariela Alvarez Martinez

Mariela is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology and Criminology and Law BA Course Leader in the School of Social Sciences and Professions.

Before Mariela's appointment as a full time senior lecturer, she was an Associate Lecturer at University of Greenwich and University of Roehampton. Mariela has experience working for the Children and Young People's Services and HMPPS.

Mariela's ongoing PhD research focuses on the factors influencing meaning making in online anxiety and depression drug's illegal markets. Her wider research focus lays within the illegal recreational and prescription drugs both online and off-line. Her research methodology is ground breaking Netnography (Kozinets 2010) with application of various methods to explore the nature of online and off-line drug problems.
 
She graduated from a MA in Psychosocial studies in 2021, from Birkbeck College, University of London, her thesis looked at the impact of digitalisation of various aspects of life of unemployed women living in London on the wake of COVID-19. She undertook a BSc in Criminology and Psychology from London Met, this research engaged with the national regulation of cannabis in Uruguay.
 
Simultaneous, to her SL and PhD, she is undertaking a PG Cert In Teaching and Learning which will be completed in September 2024.

As above mentioned Mariela teaches a range of modules at all levels of our undergraduate criminology and sociology courses, as well as some masters level modules.

Mariela is part of the Evidence Based Cybersecurity Research Group from Georgia State University since January 2023, in this role leads on the drug related projects. As part of the CINA project funded by the US Department for Homeland Security, we have developed one of the largest drug's names and slangs lists to this date with over 40000 entries. This team is working on various papers discussing trends, pricing and modus operandi of vendors in US social media networks.

Mariela has three papers in the pipeline, two of which will be submitted this September 2024. She recently joined the co-editing team for the EBCS reader aiming to select best open access resources on illicit encrypted communication platforms and make this available to a wider audience confronted with the academic paywall.

Mariela has been working in the CINA project funded by the US Department for Homeland Security.

Mariela Alvarez Martinez
Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology
Course Leader Criminology and Law BA
School of Social Sciences and Professions