Biography
Dr Julia Shaw is a criminal psychologist, bestselling author, and regular presenter of TV and audio shows.
She specialises in research on false memory, investigative interviewing, and understanding the criminal mind.
Dr Julia Shaw is the author of four books;
The Memory Illusion: Remembering, Forgetting, and the Science of False Memory
Making Evil: The Science behind humanity’s dark side
Bi: The hidden history, culture, and science of bisexuality
Green Crime: Inside the minds of the people destroying the planet and how to stop them.
TV WORK
Dr Julia Shaw is the presenter of five seasons of the documentary series Killers Caught on Camera and the spin off series Murder in Mind. She appears regularly as an expert on the criminal mind across TV and streaming platforms.
In 2024, Dr Shaw co-hosted the BBC2 true crime comedy series “The Misinvestigations of Romesh Ranganathan”.
BBC Radio & Podcasts
In addition to regularly being a guest on many radio shows and podcasts, she Dr Shaw has released various original series. Most recently Project Mind Control. It is about the psychology of whether it is possible to control people’s minds and the dark and fascinating history of psychiatry.
Between 2020 and 2024 she wrote and hosted 125 episodes of the award-winning BBC Sounds podcast Bad People. Originally co-hosted by comedian Sofie Hagen, then by journalist Amber Haque.
She has also hosted other audio series, including; Experts on Trial on BBC Radio 4 is hosted by Dr Julia Shaw and is about the secret world of expert witnesses. The Human Subject on BBC Radio 4, co-hosted by Dr Adam Rutherford, is about the dark history of modern medicine. She also co-hosted. The Kidnapping of Stephanie Slater on BBC Radio Nottingham, alongside journalist Andy Whittaker. When Reality Breaks on BBC Radio 4 is about the loved ones of people with Paranoid Schizophrenia.
Inclusion
Dr Julia Shaw is bisexual, and in 2022 she released her book Bi: The hidden culture, history, and science of bisexuality and created the BBC podcast Bi People.
In 2017 Dr Shaw co-founded the startup Spot which uses artificial intelligence to help individuals document and report inappropriate workplace behaviour. It is used by major organisations worldwide.
German Work
Dr Julia Shaw is German-Canadian. She has presented the German TVNOW documentary “Mörderische Frauen” and regularly appears on German television.
She also worked as the expert consultant for the German TV drama “The Witnesses” (8 Zeugen). The protagonist of the series, played by the famous German actress Alexandra Maria-Lara, is based on Dr Shaw and her work on false memory. Dr Shaw has also hosted the RTL podcast Böse with actor Jazzy Gudd.
Science Writing
Dr Shaw was a columnist at BBC Science Focus Magazine (2022). Previously she was a regular contributor to Scientific American (2015-2017) and Psychology Today (2019-2020).
Keynotes and Events
Dr Shaw is a regular corporate keynote speaker on the topics of memory, criminal behaviour, understanding environmental crime, and how to make workplaces inclusive. You can book her for events through Sophieclaire Armitage at Mirador.