I am a social scientist, educational leader and university lecturer currently based in the Republic of Ireland. I have 15 years' experience across 4 countries, and have worked as a researcher, policy advisor, school governor, a primary teacher, secondary and early years TEFL instructor, and subject coordinator. I have also taught to Masters level at the University of Exeter, where I completed my doctorate in Education. I currently work as a lecturer within Atlantic Technological University’s Department of Education and Social Studies in County Donegal.

I teach a range of courses across 5 key thematic areas:

1) Sociology, Politics & Economics
2) Inclusion, Decoloniality & Social Justice
3) Leadership, Creativity & Organizational Health
4) Physical Activity, Health & Wellbeing
5) Psychology & Counselling Studies

In the broadest sense, my interest lies in ideology and curriculum - the politics of what societies teach their young people, and what this tells us about ourselves as a species when examined across different periods, locations, and cultures. I am passionate about decolonial approaches to education, and collect data on and write about the tensions arising at different levels due to differing perspectives and values - from the classroom to the staff room to national and international policy.

My specific research areas are the assessment of creativity in childhood as a '21st Century Skill', leadership for professional culture in schools, and links between marginalisation, disengagement and youth violence. At the core of both my research and teaching practice is the conviction that communicating ideas can motivate and create change for young people, empowering them to alter outcomes where this matters most and, ultimately, creating a safer and more equitable world for us all.