Biography

Professor Canter was Professor of Psychology at the University of Surrey for ten years, where he founded the MSc course in Investigative Psychology. He continues as Professor of Psychology at The University of Liverpool. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a member of its Forensic Division and a Chartered Forensic Psychologist. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and a Member of the Forensic Science Society. He has published 20 books and over 150 papers in learned professional journals, and lectured around the world on various aspects of scientific psychology. His book, 'Criminal Shadows', won the Golden Dagger Award for crime non-fiction and its US equivalent, an Anthony Award.

He has given evidence to a number of major government enquiries and to a House of Commons select committee, including unchallenged evidence to the enquiry into the Kings Cross Underground fire concerning whether the fire was accidental or malicious, and given evidence to the Appeal Courts in Belfast and in a murder trial at the Old Bailey. He has also given advice in response to requests from over 150 police investigations world wide.

His main area of expertise is the systematic analysis of human behaviour in order to identify the dominant trends within it. This has also involved a number of studies of the inferences about the probable characteristics of an offender that may validly be derived from the consideration of the ways in which he commits a crime. This has included a detailed study of the behaviour of many criminals and the analysis of spoken and written material to indicate its origins and links to other questioned material.

David Canter has recently been elected an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences; this recognises his important and seminal contributions to the social sciences. Other elected psychologist Academicians this year include Glynis Breakwell, newly appointed as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath, and Stephen Lea, who is Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter.

back to top