Dr Ali Malik

Profile

My expertise is in the governance and implementation of climate adaptation within policing, emergency management and public safety institutions. I examine how organisations prepare for, respond to and learn from climate-related risks, how vulnerability is recognised and prioritised, and how governance arrangements can support adaptive capacity and anticipatory action. Previously, I was Assistant Professor in Criminology and Policing at Northumbria University (2019-2023) where I led the policing degree programme. I have also worked as Associate Inspector for HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (2017-2021). I completed my doctoral thesis at the University of Edinburgh (2013-2017), examining the police governance and accountability arrangements in Scotland following reform in 2013. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

I lead the Climate Change ARI of The Yorkshire Policing-Academic Centre of Excellence (led by Professor Dan Birks and Professor Adam Crawford), funded by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and UKRI. I also co-convene and am a founding member of the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association’s Special Interest Group on Climate Change and Public Safety.

Areas of expertise

• Policing and climate adaptation
• Climate vulnerability and vulnerability reduction
• Community resilience and preparedness
• Emergency management and local resilience governance
• Adaptive capacity and organisational learning
• Multi-agency responses to extreme weather events
• Anticipatory governance and future risk planning
• Equity, justice and inclusion in climate adaptation

Responsibilities

• Climate Change ARI Lead for The Yorkshire Policing-Academic Centre of Excellence
• Assessment Lead, School of Law
• Co-lead, The Ecological Law and Justice Group

Research interests

My research focuses on the intersections of policing, governance, climate vulnerability and adaptation. I am interested in how policing, local governance actors, and communities, prepare for climate emergencies and disasters, and how experiences of extreme weather events shape adaptation strategies.

Key themes include:

Policing and climate adaptation – the role of policing and multi-agency networks in climate emergency planning and response.
Governance and accountability – specifically, structures and practices that shape decision-making in policing and emergency planning and response contexts.
Inclusive and equitable approaches to policing and local governance – including emergency planning and response in the context of climate vulnerability and diverse social groups.
The role of knowledge and expertise in policing and networked governance – specifically the role of diverse forms of knowledge in shaping policing and governance.

Primary investigator (PI)

• Policing and community resilience in the context of climate change

Qualifications

• PhD Criminology, University of Edinburgh
• MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Edinburgh
• PG Cert. in Academic Practice (Distinction), Northumbria University

Professional memberships

• European Society of Criminology
• British Society of Criminology
• ESRC Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre
• Priestley Centre for Climate Futures
• Higher Education Academy (Fellow)

Student education

Assessment Lead, School of Law (September 2025 – ongoing).

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Criminal Justice Studies

Current postgraduate researchers

• Saad Alahmad