Dr Kate Lowe
Part-time Lecturer
9.12, 9/F., The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus
3917 7459
Katie, who holds the positions of Research Officer within the Centre for Criminology and Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Hong Kong, is a qualitative researcher with interests in criminology, law, sociology of deviance, public health and policy. Her research focuses on drug use, supply, and risk in Asia. She conducts qualitative research, including in-depth interviews and ethnographic research, to study drug use and supply, harm reduction, and associated risks among hidden and marginalized populations in Hong Kong. Additionally, she analyzes legal cases to examine the trend of long-term imprisonment of Foreign Nationals held for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia. Before pursuing her PhD, Katie qualified as a barrister in the UK. Her work contributes to understanding and addressing issues related to drug use, supply, and risk, as well as the legal implications of drug trafficking in the region.
PhD
The University ofHong KongBar Vocational Course
College of Law (London, UK)Graduate Diploma in Law
College of Law (York, UK)BA Hons in Sociology
Northumbria University (Newcastle, UK)Criminology.
Drug use and supply.
Risk.
Harm reduction.
Gender.
The Marijuana Makeover: Criminalization of CBD and the Creation of a ‘New’ Group of Drug Users in Hong Kong?
Pathways to Harm Reduction Drug Policy in Hong Kong and East and Southeast Asia: Principles, Process, and Practices
An Intersectional Lens on Drug Use and Stigma Among Hard-To Reach Populations in Hong Kong
Best Thesis Award, Hong Kong Sociological Association (2020).
Distinguished Paper Award, Hong Kong University Post Graduate Conference (2019).
Open Society Foundation Asian Scholarship (2018).
Lowe, K. F., & Laidler, K. A. (2024). Bag politics and ‘Wall’ Street capital: the role of social capital in social supply networks and broader society amongst privileged persons who use cocaine. Deviant Behavior, 45(1), 80-94.
Laidler, K, Lowe, K, Young, S, and Cheung, T. (2023) The Legal Response to Drugs and Social Supply: The Case of Hong Kong. Hong Kong Law Review. 53(3), 914-939.
Lowe, K (2023). Holiday Hooters: Hong Kong as a Destination for Debauchery - Drug Use amongst Privileged Cocaine Users. In A. Lynes, C. Kelly and J. Treadwell. 50 Dark Destinations: Crime and Contemporary Tourism. Policy Press.
Lowe, K and Ridgway, A (2023). The Keepers of Secrets: Ethics and the Emotional Labour of Working with Privileged Populations During Criminological Research. In M. Adorjan and R. Ricciardelli (Eds.) Ethical Dilemmas in International Criminological Research (Second edition). Routledge.
Ridgway, A and Lowe, K (2022). Looking Within: A Call for Greater Reflexivity in Expatriate Research. Sociological Research Online. 27(4), 1077–1093