About me:

I am an interdisciplinary social scientist with particular expertise in the fields of urban studies (including sustainable urbanism) and social research methodology (including evaluation methods). I am also an established HE educator, with particular expertise in teaching social research methods. Throughout my research I have been committed to using, refining and developing empirical approaches that enable the generation of insights into critical questions concerning urban planning, urban public space, and public policy programmes. Underpinning this research is a guiding theoretical interest in exploring (using qualitative methods in particular) disconnects between policy expectations/design intentions and practices.

Substantively, my research to date has centred on sustainable living practices, public space, and the urban mobility-public health nexus. This research has been funded by, among others, the ESRC, NCRM and NIHR, as well as through a Fulbright Scholarship held at UC Berkeley's Institute for the Study of Societal Issues (ISSI).

At the University of Exeter I am a Senior Lecturer (Education and Scholarship) in the Department of Geography and the Global Systems Institute (GSI), with particular responsibility for developing online education offerings. I am currently also a Research Associate at the University of Auckland’s Public Policy Institute (PPI) and have previously served as a Visiting Lecturer at the RCA’s School of Architecture.

Prior to joining the University of Exeter I was Associate Professor (and Deputy Head of Department) at the LSE’s Department of Methodology, where I worked for 9 years. Before joining the LSE I worked as a Research Fellow both at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and at the University of Hertfordshire, and as a Senior Researcher at the Royal Society for the Arts’ Action and Research Centre. I have also held visiting appointments in social research methodology at UC Berkeley (as a Fulbright Scholar), in urban studies at UNSW and in public policy at the University of Auckland.

I hold degrees in Geography (BA [Hons]) and Social & Political Sciences (MPhil) from the University of Cambridge (both awarded with distinction), and I received my ESRC-funded PhD from the LSE’s Cities Programme.

Qualifications:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (Associate Level), 2017 (LSE)
• PhD in Sociology, 2008 (LSE)
• MPhil in Modern Society and Global Transformations, 2003 (University of Cambridge) [awarded with distinction]
• BA (Hons) Geography, 2002 (University of Cambridge) [first class honours with distinction]