Skip to main content

Staff Profile

Dr Nikki Godden-Rasul

Senior Lecturer in Law

Background

Introduction 

Nikki joined Newcastle Law School in September 2012. Her research is in the areas of sexual violence, law and justice; transformative justice, restorative justice and sexual violence; tort law and gender; and gender and legal education. She has recently been awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship 2025 for her project Law, transformative change and abolition feminism to address gendered violence. Nikki is the Editor in Chief of Feminist Legal Studies and sits on on the steering committee for Newcastle University's Gender Research Group. Since 2015, with Professor Kathryn Hollingsworth she co-directed the 'Inspirational Women of the Law' exhibition and co-organises the biennial sister events. With Professor Alison Phipps and Dr Tina Sikka, Nikki co-ordinates the Abolition Feminism for Ending Sexual Violence collective. 

Qualifications 

Post-Graduate Certificate in Advanced Studies in Academic Practice (2014)

PhD, Dunelm (2013)

Durham University Learning and Teaching Award (2010) 

MJur, Dunelm (2009)

LLB(Hons), Leicester (2008)

Roles and Responsibilities 

Most recent:

Law School Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Senior Tutor, Law School

Editorial Work

Editor in Chief, Feminist Legal Studies 

Memberships 

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Member of Newcastle University Gender Research Group Steering Committee 

Member of Newcastle Forum for Human Rights and Social Justice

Member of Feminist and Women's Studies Association

Member of Socio-Legal Studies Association 

Member of Society of Legal Scholars

 

Research

Research Interests

My research interests are in sexual violence, law and justice; tort law and gender; and gender and legal education. I am interested in the concepts of justice and harm in responses to gendered violence, particularly in relation to non-conventional responses such as transformative justice, restorative justice and tort law. My current research projects draw on abolition feminism and social movement lawyering to better understand how, when and for what purposes to mobilise law for transformative change to address gendered violence. For this work I have recently been awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship 2025 for my project Law, transformative change and abolition feminism to address gendered violence. With Erin Shannon, Ali Phipps and Tina Sikka, I am working on abolition feminism and transformative justice to address sexual violence in higher education. I am also co-editing (with Lucia Kula, SOAS), the Research Handbook on Gender, Violence and Law (Edward Elgar).


In my recently published research, I have explored the role role of tort law in social movement lawyering, and with Clare Wiper (Northumbria University) I researched trauma-informed lawyering in the context of civil claims for sexual violence (research briefing here). I continue to research in the context of gender and legal education, particularly with regard to visual culture, and I have worked with Dr Tina Sikka (School of Arts and Cultures, Newcastle University) and social action photographer Jayne Jackson.


Conference & Seminar Presentations

Godden-Rasul, Nikki and Houghton, Ruth (September 2025) Abolition Feminism and Utopian Justice: Speculative Visionary Fiction and the End of Gendered Violence, Methodologies Symposium 'Law is but let me explain it once more', Newcastle University.

Godden-Rasul, Nikki (April 2025) 'Tort Law and Feminist Strategy: Lessons from Social Movement and Community Lawyering', Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference 2025.

Godden-Rasul, Nikki (November 2024) 'Tort Law and Feminist Strategy: Lessons from Social Movement and Community Lawyering', LEX and VAWG Research Network Annual Conference, Liverpool University.

Godden-Rasul, Nikki (May 2023) 'Trauma-Informed Lawyering in the Context of Civil Claims for Sexual Violence', staff seminar, Manchester Metropolitan University.

Godden-Rasul, Nikki (April 2023) 'Trauma-Informed Lawyering in the Context of Civil Claims for Sexual Violence', Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference 2023, Ulster University.

Godden-Rasul, Nikki (February 2022) 'Policing Sexual Violence: The Vulnerable Subject and Positive Obligations under Article 3 ECHR', A Feminist Review of the Human Rights Act 1998, Liverpool University.

Godden-Rasul, Nikki (April 2019) 'Portraits of Women in Law: Re-envisioning Gender, Law and the Legal Profession in Law Schools', Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference 2019, Leeds University.

Godden-Rasul, Nikki (December 2017) 'Alternative Legal Remedies for Survivors of Sexual Violence', Centre for Women's Justice Launch, Newcastle City Centre.

Godden-Rasul, Nikki (July 2016) 'Sexting, Sexual Ethics, and Law', Fossilisation and Innovation in Law, Newcastle University. 

Godden-Rasul, Nikki (June 2016) 'Portraits of Women in Law: The Inspirational Women of the Law Project', Feminism, Legality and Knowledge, QMUL. 

Godden-Rasul, Nikki (March 2016) ' Sexual Offences Act 2003, Section 1: Definition of Rape', Women's Legal Landmarks: Criminal Law Workshop, University of Bristol. 

Godden-Rasul, Nikki and Cobb, Neil (March 2016) 'Bringing Feminism into (Legal) Research, Pedagogy, Activism', Campus Feminisms, Newcastle University. 

Godden-Rasul, Nikki (May 2015) 'Gendered Abuse of Intimate Media: Responding to Technology Facilitated Violence Against Women', Gender, Sexuality and Law Seminar Series, Northumbria University.

Godden, Nikki (November 2013) 'Feminist Legal Scholarship and the Values of Research', Interdisciplinarity and Law; Human Rights and Social Justice Forum Seminar Series, Newcastle Law School. 

Godden, Nikki (March 2013) 'Tort Law, Human Rights and Rape: Beyond the Enforcement of Criminal Justice', Private Law and the Subject of Human Rights; The Public Life of Private Law ESRC funded seminar series, Warwick University.

Godden, Nikki; McGlynn, Clare and Westmarland, Nicole (September 2011) '"I just wanted him to hear me": Sexual Violence and the Possibilities of Restorative Justice', Sexual Violence Conference, Middlesex University.

Godden, Nikki (July 2011) 'Rape and Restorative Justice: A Case Study', PECANS International Workshop, Centre for Feminist Legal Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Godden, Nikki; McGlynn, Clare and Westmarland, Nicole (September 2011) '"I just wanted him to hear me": Sexual Violence and the Possibilities of Restorative Justice', British Society of Criminology Annual Conference 2011, Northumbria University.

Godden, Nikki and McGlynn, Clare (April 2011) '"I just wanted him to hear me": Sexual Violence and the Possibilities of Restorative Justice', Restorative Justice: Building Consensus in Theory and Practice, Nottingham Trent University.

Funding

2025-2026 - £55,953 Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship, for project Law, transformative change and abolition feminism to address gendered violence.

2023-2024 - £2000 Society of Legal Scholars, for research workshop on Gender, Violence and Law.

2016-2017 - £3988.53 Newcastle University HaSS Faculty Research Fund, for 'Portraits of Women in Law: Representing Women, Rewriting Legal Histories'. 

2014-2015 - £3,500 The Catherine Cookson Foundation, toward the 'Inspirational Women of the Law' Exhibition at Newcastle University. 

2014-2015 - £2,260 Newcastle Institute for Social Renewal, toward the 'Inspirational Women of the Law' Exhibition and event at Newcastle University.

2014-2015 - £1,500 Vice Chancellor's fund; £1,000 Pro-Vice Chancellor for Learning and Teaching's fund, toward the 'Inspirational Women of the Law' Exhibition and event at Newcastle University.

2011 - £750 Small Grants Scheme - Postgraduate Dissemination Grant, Wolfson Research Institute, Durham University, to partially fund a Visiting Scholar position and conference presentation at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver (July 2011). 

2009-2012 - £13,300/annum approx. Durham Doctoral Fellowship to support the completion of my PhD thesis 'Seeking Justice for Rape Victim-Survivors: Unconventional Legal Responses to Rape'.

2008 - £3,500 Durham Postgraduate Scholarship.

Teaching

Undergraduate teaching  

Law and Gender (Module Co-ordinator)(Stage 3) 

Criminal Law (Stage 2)

Tort Law (Stage 2)

Publications