ABOUT DRAGON

Nuria is Professor of Linguistics at Swansea University (UK) and Distinguished Researcher at Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain). Her area of expertise lies in digital communication and cyber-crime, with a focus on child online protection. Nuria is the author of over 90 publications and has extensive experience in leading multi-disciplinary research teams and global stakeholder engagements. She is passionate about developing ethical, research-informed technology to keep children safe online.

Ruth is a Policy, Research and Public Affairs Professional with 20 years’ expertise as a Special Advisor in the political sphere and working for leading children’s charities in the NGO sector. Ruth advocates for children’s rights and child protection and is passionate about developing and applying groundbreaking research to enhance child safeguarding practice. Ruth is co-author of the Cambridge Element ‘Online Child Sexual Grooming Discourse’ as well as several other book chapters, articles and research reports.

Leonie is a researcher specialising in online harms, sexual offences, and the intersection of technology and safeguarding. As Social Science Research Lead (Data & Technology) for DRAGON, she plays a central role in data management and her work bridges criminology, psychology, linguistics and ethical AI ensuring that DRAGON’s technologies are socially responsible.

Leonie holds an MSc in Abnormal and Clinical Psychology with a focus on sadistic tendencies and a PhD in Criminology from Swansea University, where her research explored how criminal justice cultures shape responses to female sexual offending. She has co-authored multiple publications on child-to-child online abuse and practitioner perspectives on online harms and has presented her work at international conferences. Leonie is passionate about using interdisciplinary research to inform real-world interventions that protect children and support professionals working in safeguarding roles.

Keighley is a researcher with over 9 years’ experience investigating areas relating to digital communication, online safety and online harms. Her work bridges academic research and practitioner engagement, with a focus on creating safer digital environments.

Keighley leads on public communications for DRAGON, including social media strategy and wider outreach. She has contributed to the development of DRAGON technology, helping to translate complex research into accessible outputs for professionals and the wider public. Keighley holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Swansea University. Her doctoral research explored online identity construction within radical right communities, informing her broader work on technology-assisted abuse and extremism. She is passionate about using research to inform practice and improve support for those affected by technology-assisted abuse.

Dr Arron Lacey is the DRAGON-Spotter Deputy Lead and a Senior Lecturer in Health Data Science and Natural Language Processing at the Swansea University Medical School. Arron has been based in the SAIL Databank at the Medical School since 2011 following a BSc in Physics, MScs in Computer Science and a PhD in Healthcare Studies at Swansea University.

Laura is Head of Operations for DRAGON-Spotter, where she plays a key role in ensuring the smooth delivery of the project’s day-to-day activities. With a strong background in project coordination and stakeholder engagement, she supports the team’s interdisciplinary work by streamlining processes, managing logistics, and facilitating collaboration across partners.

Laura has a strong research background in human-computer interactions and is currently completing a PhD in Computer Science. Apart from her academic background, Laura brings a practical, solutions-focused approach to her role, helping to translate strategic goals into effective operational outcomes. Her work underpins the team’s ability to deliver impactful, research-informed tools that support online child protection.

Rebecca is a doctoral researcher in Applied Linguistics at Swansea University, working at the intersection of language, law, and technology. Her work on the TRUE Project uses corpus‑assisted discourse methods to examine how lay fact‑finders construct trust and credibility around digital evidence during jury deliberations. Rebecca also works on Project DRAGON, where she supports the team with coordination, research assistance, and linguistic analysis relating to communication around online harms and technology‑facilitated child exploitation.

Prior to her doctorate, Rebecca completed an MA in Applied Linguistics and a BA in English Language and Linguistics.