Offender profile PhD strengthens Professional Doctoral Academy's overseas links
The University of Huddersfield’s Professional Doctoral Academy has strengthened its links with law enforcement agencies in Thailand.
Lieutenant Colonel Nutthika Keeratithammakrit of the Royal Thai Police successfully graduated with a PhD in Psychology from the University in July 2025, marking a significant achievement in both her career and the deepening strategic bonds between the University and Thailand’s law enforcement agencies.
Funded by the Royal Thai Government, Lt. Col. Nutthika’s research focused on developing psychological profiles of Thai sex offenders to enhance crime detection and prevention. Her groundbreaking doctoral work was supervised by Professor John Synnott and Professor Maria Ioannou, senior academics leading the University’s internationally renowned Professional Doctoral Academy and MSc programmes in Investigative Psychology and Security Science respectively.
Discover more about the PhD in Psychology
With over a decade of service in the Royal Thai Police - including specialist expertise in polygraph examination and fingerprint analysis - Lt. Col. Nutthika now returns to Thailand with advanced offender profiling capabilities. These skills will be applied to some of the country’s most complex and challenging investigations, including those involving serial sex offenders.
Lt. Col. Nutthika has also played a central role in strengthening the institutional partnership between the University of Huddersfield and the Royal Thai Police. She was instrumental in facilitating high-profile visits, including the 2019 engagement of the Thai Police Commissioner and the 2023 visit of Thailand’s Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.
These landmark exchanges have led to broader academic and operational collaborations, paving the way for future Thai police officers to undertake advanced research training at Huddersfield.
The University of Huddersfield, home to the world’s largest Investigative Psychology research programme, has praised Lt. Col. Nutthika’s achievements as a powerful example of the global reach and real-world impact of its research and training.
“Lt. Col. Nutthika’s project is a testament to the power of international collaboration and its potential to drive meaningful change in law enforcement globally.
She represents one of the first cohorts to graduate through the Professional Doctoral Academy’s structure, paving the way for both domestic and international colleagues to undertake impactful research while remaining active members of the law enforcement community.
Professor John Synnott, Director, Professional Doctoral Academy -
"Her work was further recognised when she joined me and others at the World Police Summit in May of this year, where we showcased our research to an international audience. We are now actively working towards welcoming further Royal Thai Police candidates and expect to have new recruits starting in 2026.”
Praising Lt. Col. Nutthika’s dedication to attaining her PhD over many years, Police Major General Sujettana Sotthibandhu, Commander of Police Forensic Science Center 1, Office of Police Forensic Science with Royal Thai Police, added, “Nutthika has successfully graduated with a PhD in Psychology, focusing her research on 'The Application of Criminal Behaviour and Forensic Evidence for Rapist Profiles in Thailand.'
"I am incredibly proud of her groundbreaking work, which aims to benefit the Royal Thai Police by enhancing offender profiling techniques and strengthening the investigative process.
“Her dedication and innovative research exemplify a strong commitment to advancing criminal investigation and ensuring public safety.”