I graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2006 with a BA(Hons) in English Literature, after which I completed a Master’s in English Language and Literature: Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Sheffield. This was followed by a brief stint in fashion merchandising, before I completed my PhD at King's College London in 2013, which explored the narrated experiences of amputation and mastectomy.

Since my doctoral research, my research interests have expanded to include a focus on various areas of applied health and social care. I have worked as a researcher at York St John University (Faculty of Health and Life Sciences), Newcastle University (Institute of Health and Society), and the University of York (Social Policy Research Unit). I started teaching at the University of Huddersfield in 2018, and have led modules in Social Policy and Community Development, Research Methods, and International Health and Social Development.

My research interests span various areas of health and care, with a particular focus on individuals’ experiences of illness, disability, and care services. Key interests include:

• Experiences of physical disability and/or visible difference
• Conceptualisations of embodiment
• Patient/service user experiences of care and care organisations
• Doctor-patient interaction
• Narrative methods

Recent research projects include:

• Finding and funding social care: a qualitative study of the experiences of self-funders (National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit, completed 2021)
• The Early Days Project: parents’ experiences of the early days of bereavement and the support they receive from children’s hospices (Martin House Research Centre, completed 2020)
• Evaluating specialist autism teams' provision of care and support for autistic adults without learning disabilities: the SHAPE mixed-methods study (National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research Programme, completed 2019)

I am currently accepting PhD proposals using qualitative approaches in the below areas, or related topics:

• Surgery, in particular amputation or mastectomy
• Experiences and conceptualisations of disability
• Experiences and conceptualisations of visible difference
• Use of healthcare services (e.g. hospitalisation, rehabilitation, hospice care)
• Later life care, including informal/family care