My background is in International Education, and my first degree was in Social Policy (Open University). I then worked in areas of Post Conflict and I moved to research education in post conflict settings. During this time I gained my Masters in Education and International Development at the Institute of Education (UCL). I gained my PhD focused on Decolonising Education in South Africa at the University of York in 2023 whilst working as a Research Associate at the Centre of Applied Human Rights.
During this time I also trained as a psychotherapist in Transactional Analysis and gained my diploma in 2024.
Throughout my career I have had a strong interest in social justice and education and this is evident in my writing, teaching and research. More recently I have been developing Decolonised Methodologies in Educational Research with marginalised young people, and have particular interests in the inclusion of seldom heard voices in educational research. Much of my research is with historically marginalised communities.
I teach on the undergraduate suite in Children Young People and Education. Specifically I teach Effective Communication and Teamwork and Mental Health and Wellbeing module.
I also teach on the Foundation Year modules on Introduction to University Study and The Influence of Policy and Politics.
My PhD ('Exploring the role of indigenous knowledge in higher education in South Africa.') was completed in 2023 and I am now researching a variety of education issues that promote social justice in local, national and global settings. My current research includes working with children and young people to further understand the experience of seldom heard groups in education.
Having used participatory research and decolonised methodologies in my doctoral research, I have a strong interest in participatory research, innovative research methodologies and feminist research.
