I joined Strathclyde Business School under the Chancellor’s Fellowship Scheme, which supports high-quality research and impact. My research focuses on skills, jobs and working life. Prior to joining academia I worked in the voluntary and public sectors for 15 years. I am also a charted occupational psychologist, practitioner psychologist and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

My research, teaching and publication interests are aligned to the University’s strategic priorities. My main research interests lie in the areas of: skills, skills utilisation and skill ecosystems; middle-skill jobs; apprenticeships; labour market transitions; the future of jobs and skills; gender equality; and healthy workplaces and workers. My research has a strong public policy/KE focus. I recently served as a member of the OECD Expert Advisory Group on the project Better Using Skills in the Workplace (in collaboration with the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – see report). I am also a Board member of the Centre for Work-Based Learning (CWBL), which aims to drive cultural change and create demand for work-based learning in Scotland. The Centre was founded by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and we work in partnership to influence policy, practice and perception of work-based learning.

My main research interests are around: skills, skills utilisation and skill ecosystems; middle-skilled jobs; apprenticeships; labour market transitions; the future of jobs and skills; gender equality; and healthy work and workers. 

Examples of current/recent research include: attracting, training and retaining young chefs; advanced manufacturing skills; green jobs and skills; women in wind turbine technician/field roles; the professionalisation of intermediate occupations; skill ecosystems in context; and graduate apprenticeships.

Education, Training and Skills 

Work and Occupations

Labour Market and Labour Process Issues

Skill Ecosystems

Green Jobs and Skills

Industry 4.0 Jobs and Skills 

The Future of Work

Work-Based Learning (WBL)

Gender Equality

Healthy Workplaces and Workers

BA (Hons) in Psychology and Sociology (Strathclyde), Postgraduate Diploma in Alcohol Studies (Paisley College of Technology), MSc in Occupational Psychology (Strathclyde/Heriot-Watt), PhD in Human Resource Management (ESRC Case Studentship, Strathclyde), Chartered Occupational Psychologist (British Psychological Society), Practitioner Psychologist (HCPC).

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, currently HRM honours coordinator and class coordinator and/or lecturer on the following undergraduate and postgraduate modules:

Work Psychology for Human Rource Management

Work, Employment and Society

Labour and Diversity in a Global Context