I studied for my undergraduate and Master's degrees in History at the University of Manchester. I then completed my PhD in International History and Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education at the London School of Economics and Political Science. My thesis was titled: The (UN)Equal Alliance: The United States, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the Korean War,1950 to 1954.
I was the Master's Programmes Senior Tutor in the Department of International History at the LSE before joining York St John University as a Lecturer in History in 2013.
I am currently the School of Humanities Postgraduate Research Lead. I also currently supervise numerous doctoral students and am happy to consider further applications on topics relating to my research interests, especially in the following areas:
- The Korean War
- The Cold War
- British Decolonisation and the Commonwealth
- Apartheid South Africa
- The United Nations
- Modern East Asian International History
Qualifications
- PhD International History, LSE, 2011
- PGCertHE, LSE, 2009
- MA History, University of Manchester, 2004
- BA (Hons) History, University of Manchester, 2003
I am currently the Module Director and Module Tutor for a range of undergraduate and postgraduate History modules, including:
Module Director
- HIS5010M Mao's China: From Empire to Communism
- HIS6009M Special Subject in the History of the Cold War
- HIS7019M The Setting Sun: British Decolonisation, c. 1945 to 1968
Module Tutor
- HIS4015M A Century in Crisis
- HIS6001M Dissertation
My main research interests lie in the International History of the twentieth century. More specifically, my previous research focused on the complex and often fraught interactions between Britain, its Commonwealth partners, and the United States at the United Nations during the Korean War. This research was supported by the LSE Research Studentship Scheme, the University of London Central Research Fund, a Royal Historical Society Postgraduate Research Support Grant, a Harry S. Truman Library Institute Research Grant, a Rajiv Gandhi Travelling Scholarship, a Gilchrist Educational Trust Travel Grant, and the Mercers' Company Educational Trust Fund.
My current research examines more broadly the security relationships that existed between Britain and the members of the Commonwealth between 1945 and 1956. I am also currently working on a monograph focusing on Commonwealth relations and the the South African disputes at the United Nations before apartheid became such a controversial issue at the world organisation in the late 1950s. For this research, I have received funding from the Scouloudi Historical Award, the Harry S Truman Library Research Grant, and the York St John University QR Fund.
I am also keenly interested in the history of the United Nations and East Asia during this period.
Recent publications
I am a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. I am also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor. I have also been awarded the Chartered Management Institute's Level 2 Award in Team Leadership.
In addition, I am a member of the Army Records Society, British International History Group, British Scholar Society, British Association of Korean Studies and Transatlantic Studies Association.
Moreover, I am an Editorial Board Member of the Royal Historical Society's New Historical Perspectives book series and have acted as a peer reviewer for Brill, Palgrave Macmillan, Peter Lang, the Journal of Transatlantic Studies, the International History Review, and the International Journal of Military History and Historiography.
Lastly, I am an external examiner for the LSE and have previously been an external examiner for the University of Wales Trinity St David.
