Welcome to Part 2 of our December 2025 Inspirational Interview with Mags Lesiak, criminologist and Cambridge Fellow at the UK Government Office for Science and Technology in the UK.
Mags is a psychological criminologist and Cambridge doctoral researcher working at the intersection of critical sociology, victimology, and machine learning. Her research examines how legal, clinical, and algorithmic systems interpret violence through the intertwined frameworks of risk, care, and control. She introduced the concept of weaponised attachment to describe how love can be used as a tool of control. Her work has been published in Violence Against Women, Teen Vogue, Psychology Today, ABC, Policing Insight, and the American Bar Association, and has informed UK government policy and international media coverage.
In this part of her interview, Mags talks about the use of machine learning in her research and shares her advice for criminologists interested in researching violence against women.
Part 2 of Mags’ interview was published 7 December 2025.
All photos are courtesy of Mags Lesiak.
6. You are currently utilising machine learning algorithms to analyse large datasets on domestic violence in order to develop models to classify, cluster, and visualise data with the aim of providing a more granular understanding of domestic violence. Could you tell us more about this research and how you hope it will be applied?
I’m currently in the middle of writing my next paper, which uses machine learning to examine femicide across countries. The study aims to identify the variables that best predict femicide and to understand how cultural, legal, and ideological factors interact to shape patterns of violence across countries. While it’s still in progress, the broader goal is to examine structural forces driving gender-based violence worldwide.
7. What advice would you give to criminologists who are interested in specialising in researching domestic violence or any other type of VAW?
My first piece of advice would be to embrace humility and curiosity. Domestic violence and other forms of VAW are complex and deeply embedded in culture and systems. Avoid thinking of it as a problem that can be understood through simple variables, quick solutions, or individual psychology.
Second, centre the voices of survivors, not just in ethics statements, but in how you frame your questions and interpret data. Their experiences often reveal patterns that formal systems and statistics overlook. Finally, keep questioning assumptions, and remember that real change depends on community support. At the end of the day, your work is in service of them. Don’t isolate yourself; seek out dialogue, share your knowledge generously, and do so with humility. Be open to feedback: if a lawyer tells you something could be difficult to prove in court, listen; if a survivor says she feels omitted, listen. Researching domestic violence or any form of VAW is as much about listening and learning as it is about analysis. Collaboration, empathy, and openness are just as important as technical skill.
8. Tell us about your plans for the future. What projects do you have coming up in the next 5 years?
I’ll soon be entering the final year of my PhD, and next year I plan to start applying for jobs that will allow me to continue my research. Alongside academic work, I’m developing a documentary, Groomed to Give, currently in its early stages, which will explore the concept of weaponised attachment, how a victim’s capacity for love can be exploited by the perpetrator as a tool of control. I’m also writing a popular science book on the same topic, so more people can learn about it.
9. How can The Pixel Project’s supporters engage with and support the efforts of yourself and other criminologists working to stop violence against women?
Sharing and applying research findings and talking about them within your communities can make a real difference, particularly through training, therapy, and workshops. Supporters can also contribute by participating in studies or offering their perspectives; if anyone is interested, they are always welcome to contact me at mkl35@cam.ac.uk. Every conversation, every engagement, and every effort to bring evidence into practice helps shift culture and supports the work.
10. In your considered opinion, how can we end VAW for good?
Legal reforms and policies are essential, but they alone aren’t enough; we need a cultural transformation that challenges the norms, beliefs, and power structures that normalise coercion, gendered oppression, and control. Education from a young age, community engagement, survivor-centred practice, and institutional accountability are all critical. Technology, media, and research can support this by exposing patterns of abuse and reshaping narratives.
Ultimately, it’s a collective effort: change happens when individuals, communities, and systems all work together to reject violence as acceptable in any form.
