I have been part of the University of Glasgow academic community since 2006, initially as a Master’s student and subsequently as a PhD researcher, before moving into academic roles from 2014 onwards. Since then, I have worked across the School of Education and the School of Social & Environmental Sustainability, experiences that have shaped the interdisciplinary perspective underpinning my research, teaching and academic practice.

My research spans three interconnected areas within education, linked by a broader interest in how knowledge, learning and institutional responsibility shape inequality and social change.

1. Gender, learning and transformative change

My research examines how understandings of gender roles are learned and reproduced across the life course, and how lifelong learning and non-formal educational interventions can challenge unequal and restrictive gender norms, expectations and power relations. I am particularly interested in gender-transformative learning beyond formal education and in how reflection, dialogue and collaborative learning can support more equitable relationships within families and communities, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This work includes The Equality Project: Starting from Home, developed with university partners and local NGOs in Kenya and Tanzania, which used a couple-based learning programme to challenge unequal gender roles and gendered expectations within the household and support more equitable family relationships. More recently, as part of Finding a Voice Through the Tree of Life: Stories of Domestic Violence Prevention, I developed research-informed workshops with university and community partners in Rwanda focused on non-violent masculinities and gender-transformative learning. The workshops link research on gender norms and violence with practical lifelong learning resources for local organisations and communities.

2. The role and responsibility of higher education in society

My research also examines the role of universities beyond teaching and research, with particular attention to how higher education institutions mobilise knowledge, expertise and partnerships to contribute to and respond to societal change. I am interested in the public and social value of higher education and in how universities negotiate their responsibilities to communities and wider society, particularly in changing, contested or crisis contexts.

This work developed through my involvement in Strengthening Urban Engagement of Universities in Africa and Asia (SUEUAA), a British Academy-funded international research project examining how universities could strengthen their contribution to urban development through closer engagement with governments, communities and other societal partners. Working across six cities in Africa and Asia, the project explored universities' ‘third mission’ and the structures needed to connect academic knowledge and expertise more effectively with societal needs.

3. AI, knowledge and epistemic authority in education

My current research examines how AI is reshaping the production, circulation and legitimation of knowledge in education, and reconfiguring relationships between technological systems, professional judgement and institutional authority. I am particularly interested in how increasing reliance on AI changes who and what is recognised as a legitimate source of knowledge, how educators and other professionals mediate and evaluate AI-generated knowledge, and what these changes mean for professional expertise and judgement. My work also considers the potential for AI-mediated knowledge systems to reproduce or intensify existing educational and global inequalities.

Across these areas, my research explores how education shapes and is shaped by changing forms of knowledge, authority and social responsibility, with a particular interest in its potential to challenge inequality and contribute to social change.

List by: Type | Date

Research Grants

2024 - 2025

Principal Investigator on the project entitled ‘Finding a Voice Through the Tree of Life Narrative: Stories of Domestic Violence Prevention’, funded by the Academic Returners and Research Support Grant, University of Glasgow (£10,000).

2019 - 2021

Principal Investigator on the project entitled ‘The Equality Project: Starting From Home’, funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund, University of Glasgow (£72,000).

2019

Co-investigator on the project entitled ‘Workers by Self-Design: Digital Literacies and Women’s Changing Roles in Unstable Environments’, funded by the Scottish Funding Council, Global Challenges Research Fund (£27,260).

2017 – 2019

Co-investigator on the project entitled ‘Strengthening Urban Engagement of Universities in Africa and Asia’, funded by the British Academy, Cities & Infrastructure Programme (£298,500).

2017

Co-investigator on the project entitled ‘Strengthening the Regional Engagement Role of Universities in Africa and Asia’, funded by the Scottish Funding Council, Global Challenges Research Fund (£29,500).

2016 – 2017

Co-investigator on the project entitled ‘Film Education in Scottish Libraries’, funded by the Scottish Library and Information Council (£9,000).

Knowledge Exchange Grants

2024

Principal Investigator on the project entitled ‘Establishing Research Networks: An Overseas Institutional Visit to the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil’, funded by the GCID Small Grants Fund, University of Glasgow (£10,000).

I welcome inquiries and applications from potential PhD students whose research interests align with my work, particularly in the following areas:

• gender, lifelong learning and gender-transformative education
• gender inequalities, masculinities and changing gender relations
• higher education, public value and the societal responsibilities of universities
• universities, community engagement and responses to social or humanitarian challenges
• AI, knowledge and epistemic authority in education
• professional judgement, educational expertise and the mediation of AI-generated knowledge
• educational inequalities and social justice

For supervision inquiries, please email me the following: 

1. Research proposal of approximately 1500 words (see here for guidance)
2. Updated CV
3. A 300-word description of how your research interests align with my research and why you are interested in pursuing a PhD with me.
4. A brief description of your funding situation (already in receipt of a scholarship, planning to apply to one, planning to self-fund, etc.) 

Completed PhD supervision:

Dr Ellen Vanderhoven: "A Global Policy in Local Context/A Local Policy in Global Context: Investigating Dual VET Youth Transitions in Coahuila, Mexico."

I bring over ten years of experience in programme leadership, course leadership, higher education teaching and assessment across undergraduate and postgraduate provision. My programme leadership experience includes the MSc Enhanced Practice in Education in the School of Social and Environmental Sustainability and the MSc Youth Studies in the School of Education. I have led and contributed to undergraduate courses including Curriculum and Assessment, Education in Its Wider Context and Research Methods in Education, as well as postgraduate courses including Identities, Relationships and Behaviours, Perspectives on Youth and Young Adulthood and Advanced Research Methods. My teaching is student-centred and grounded in the interplay between theory, research, policy, practice and students’ lived experiences.