Justine’s research interests centre around families, parents, and motherhood, with a particular focus on themes such as infant feeding, representations of mothers in children's literature, historical perspectives on motherhood, genealogy, and family history. Her doctoral research explored mothers’ stories of infant feeding in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Dr Justine Gallagher is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communities and Education. She teaches on the BA (Hons) Childhood and Early Years Studies programme, leads modules, and supervises undergraduate dissertation projects. She is also year lead for second-year students on the programme. Justine is passionate about experiential learning and employability, supporting students with fieldwork and placement opportunities as part of their studies.

Her professional background includes working in Sure Start Children’s Centres, where she gained extensive experience supporting families within multi-professional teams.

Justine’s research is situated within the broad theme of motherhood, with particular interests in breastfeeding, poverty, genealogy, and family history. Her PhD explored the infant feeding stories of new mothers in Newcastle upon Tyne. She is currently developing research that draws on archival and historical perspectives on motherhood, with a specific focus on the late Victorian period. This work explores how maternal identities and practices were shaped in relation to children admitted to the Newcastle Ragged and Industrial School, examining the intersections of poverty, education, and parenting during this era. She also has a growing interest in children's literature and its role in shaping early understandings of family and identity.

In addition to her academic and research roles, Justine is one of the School's Transnational Education Coordinator for both the BA (Hons) Childhood and Early Years Studies and BA (Hons) Guidance and Counselling programmes. She supports the delivery of these programmes through the school's partnership with Kaplan in Singapore.