My research interests focus on the psychology of education, particularly student engagement and motivation and the variables that affect and are affected by these. I primarily conduct quantitative research but also have extensive experience of qualitative research. I am currently leading a research project investigating how GCSE students evaluate teacher messages about their exams and how this affects their academic emotions, student engagement and GCSE grades. 

Whilst working towards my PhD in psychology, I worked as a Sessional Lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University from 2004 to 2009. I then joined the Department of Social and Psychological Sciences at Edge Hill University as a Research Assistant, in which I worked on several educational psychology projects. I also became an Associate Tutor in the same department, where I remained, on a casual basis, until 2016. I joined the research team in the Faculty of Education at Edge Hill University in October 2013. In my position as Senior Research Fellow, I conduct high-quality research, supervise PhD students, mentor academic staff with their research and serve as editor and reviewer for several academic journals. I am a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol), Associate Fellow (AFBPsS) of the British Psychological Society (BPS), and an active member of the BPS Psychology of Education Section committee.

I have extensive experience of teaching research methods, experimental design, data analysis and the psychology of education (teaching, learning and instruction) to students ranging from levels 3 to 7.