Having previously researched/worked in the fields of Media History (University of Westminster) and (Docudrama) Performance (University of Reading), I joined the Department of Psychology as a Lecturer in January 2024, after completing a (second) qualitative-study PhD entitled 'Thinking Differently about 'Student Mental Health and Wellbeing' - Learning from Undergraduates' Storied 'University Life' Self-Reflections.' Whilst concluding this work, I also worked as a Research Support Assistant at Swansea University, on a qualitative research project exploring the intersections between work intensification and mental health in the experiences of academics who identify as female (working in the UK). My continuing research interests centre qualitative explorations of mental health and wellbeing (within education settings in particular) and suicide loss and bereavement experiences. The shift to my current research foci stemmed from the lived(ing) experience of losing my brother to suicide in 2011; intertwined with this experience, I value interdisciplinary perspectives and working.
I have also worked as an Academic Skills/English for Academic Purposes Tutor at the Universities of Falmouth and Newcastle and the ITESO Guadalajara University in Mexico - I seek to support students with academic skill development alongside content learning, as a significant facilitative feature of a wider 'student experience'.
I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and teach across all university levels.
I am module lead for:
- PSY3010M: Contemporary Issues in Psychology
- PSY6007M: Adolescent Development and Behaviour
I teach across:
- PSY3012M: Extended Project
I teach qualitative research methods sessions on:
- PSY5014M - Psychological Research 2
- PSY7001M - Psychological Research Methods
- EDR7004M - Foundational Research Methods in Psychological Research
I lead a session on Loss, Grief and Bereavement on PSY8112M - Psychological Interventions Over the Lifespan: (Theory, Practice and Placement).
I also supervise undergraduate dissertations and am an Academic Tutor.
My current research focuses on qualitative and interdisciplinary explorations of mental health and wellbeing in UK academia and sibling suicide loss experiences. I am also qualitatively interested in the personal emotion work, experiences and support needs of researchers conducting work in the broad area that is mental health-related research, as well as conceptualizations/implementations of 'trauma informed pedagogies'. I have strong interest in utilising autoethnographic approaches and my research draws on a 'lived(ing) experience' lens/perspective.
