My primary research interests are in contemporary writing and ageing studies. My current research is concerned with three main areas: ageing, illness and care in cultural and literary narratives; ageing and childhood in children's literature; and science and speculative fictional explorations of age, ageing and rejuvenation. 

I am the Co-Director for the Dementia and Cultural Narrative Network. I am the Primary Research Collaborator on the project 'Ageing and Illness in British and Japanese Children's Picturebooks 1950-2000: Historical and Cross-Cultural perspectives', funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (9880000 yen). 

I joined the University of Huddersfield in 2008, having taught previously at a number of universities, including The Open University. I was awarded a PhD on the novels of Michèle Roberts from the University of Aberdeen in 2002. I also completed a PGCE in Further and Higher Education at the University of Wolverhampton in 2002. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.