I joined the University of Manchester in January 2026 as a Research Associate and I am currently workIing on an NIHR-funded project called Improving Communication with Adults with Learning Disabilities (ICALD). This project aims to develop and evaluate a workforce education & skills development programme to improve communication between staff and adults with learning disabilities in social care settings. ICALD is led by Professor Vicky Slonims at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London.

Previously, I was a Research Associate at the University of Sheffield on the interdisciplinary ERC-funded project FORTITUDE (2019-2025, £2m). This project involved a realist evaluation of a digital game-based learning intervention to improve children and young people’s legal capability (e.g., knowledge, skills, and confidence). I also led a sub-study focused on improving the intervention’s usability and accessibility for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as well as early years children.

I obtained my PhD in Education and Childhood from the University of the West of England, Bristol, fully funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). My doctorate explored the co-design and evaluation of a technology-based program to support children’s engagement with autism in a museum context. Alongside my PhD, I completed an MRes in Research Methods and worked as an Associate Lecturer on an undergraduate Education programme. During my doctoral studies, I also gained experience in health and social care services as a support worker for individuals with learning disabilities and complex developmental needs.

After completing my PhD, I took up a number of research positions across academia and the third sector. I have been involved in small- and large-scale studies in education (School of Education and Social Policy, Cardiff Metropolitan University) and early childhood development, including the implementation and evaluation of a parental programme for families living in deprivation (A Better Start Southend/).

I am also an external collaborator at the Equitable Learning Technology Lab (ELTL) in the Institute of Advanced Learning Technologies at the University of Florida.

Taking an interdisciplinary approach, my research interests span education, children and young people with learning disabilities- particularly autism, social care services, and the design and evaluation of interactive technologies in formal and informal contexts. I have a particular interest in the co-development and evaluation of educational interventions.

Methodologically, my research draws on qualitative, quantitative, and ethnographic methods. I am particularly passionate about using creative and participatory research practices that support the voices of vulnerable communities in service design and delivery. As an academic, I actively contribute to knowledge exchange and public engagement by sharing our work widely with members of the public and children.