I recently joined the department as a Research Lead focussed on conducting deep research into money laundering trends and the criminal business models that underpin them. Illicit finance is a complex beast as criminal actors exploit global financial systems to move value – often linked to the drugs and trafficking trades.

By improving our understanding, we can prioritise better, target the right networks and make recommendations to leverage our public and private sector partners. As an example, the team is working on a systems analysis of Dubai-based money controllers, seeking to unpick their operating model and identify strategic vulnerabilities we can attack.

An important part of the role is working with academia and I am currently organising a conference with the Home Office, RUSI and universities across the country to set future research requirements. This represents a fantastic opportunity to build community and promote female researchers in the field, supporting them as they tackle some of the biggest challenges in illicit finance in support of our objectives.