I completed my PhD in 2022 at the University of Glasgow after an MRes in Human Geographies from the University of Glasgow and a BA (hons) in Geography from Keele University. My PhD research was funded by the ESRC (SGSSS) and explored the geographies of training and care between physically disabled and/or chronically ill people and their assistance dogs.
After my PhD I was awarded an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (~£110,000) to continue my research and develop work around an ethnomethodological engagement with assistance dog training. This work brought out the training philosophy of Vicki Hearne and engaged this through a spatial analysis of assistance dog training.
Subsequently I had stints teaching at York St John and the University of Glasgow before returning to York St John as Lecturer in Geography in January 2025.
Undergraduate Geography / Human Geography / Environmental Geography Degrees:
- GEO4013M - Exploring Human Geography
- GEO4017 - Qualitative Methods in Geography
- GEO4018M - Environmental Geography Concepts and Practices
- GEO5011M - Culture & Landscape
- GEO6013M - Dissertation
- GEO6015M - Human Geographies of Nature
- GEO6019M - GeoHumanities
- GEO6022M - Advanced Fieldwork in Human Geography
MA:
- GEO7001M - Environment, Society and Justice
- GEO7002M - Research, Representing and Communicating Environmental-Social Relations
- GEO7003M - Environmental Humanities
- GEO7005M - Political Ecology
My research interests lie in animal geographies, disability geographies, and ethnomethodology.
i) Assistance Animals
My research has been interested in the role of assistance animals to the everyday lives of physically disabled humans and how dogs care for humans but also humans for dogs. This research is currently being developed as I explore public videos of assistance dog access denial to taxis, public transport, and everyday spaces such as shops and cafes.
ii) Geographies of Pet Theft
I have been researching pet theft with colleagues Dr Daniel Allen, Dr Helen Selby-Fell, and Dr John Walliss, to explore the experiences of pet theft, how people search for lost and stolen pets, and the geography of pet theft as a crime. This research has contributed to the Pet Theft Reform Campaign which led to the approval and acension of the Pet Abduction Bill (2024).
Recent publications
I am an active member of the Scottish Ethnomethodology Discourse Interaction and Talk (SEDIT) Group.
I am co-founder of the Animal Geographies Working Group, RGS. From 2022 to 2025 I acted as Treasurer as well as interim co-chair covering for colleagues. I am currently at the start of my stint on the committee as an Ordinary Member.
I am a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
