My central area of research is widening participation, in and beyond education. My current focus is in primarily two areas: (1) intercultural competence development and (2) integrating writing instruction into teacher education programmes. In both areas, I aim my work at widening access to education for underrepresented students while improving the quality of higher education student experience for all.

I lead an international research group that develops ways to teach and assess intercultural competence. Our most current article, "Capturing Nonlinear Intercultural Development via Student Reflective Writing," advances new qualitative tools for measuring intercultural competence. These tools operationalise reflective writing to reveal dynamic IC development trajectories, displaying nonlinearity, nondiscrete phases, and unexpected developmental pathways, facets of IC not observable in more traditional quantitative measures. 

I recently served as PI for Carnegie-funded research project on developing academic writing among teacher education students, with an emphasis on mature students' experiences. This work is the first of its kind in Scotland. More broadly, I work with Dr Sharon Hunter and colleagues from the University College Copenhagen Institut for Læreruddannelse on teachers' writing and developing academic literacies in teacher education. This research builds on the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing (NCTE/CWPA)

Research ethics – particularly developing an expansive understanding of ethics beyond the procedural – is an area of expertise. In Strathclyde Institute of Education, I co-led the Institute Ethics Committee from 2022 to 2025 and initiated a focus on strengthening ethical learning among HE researchers and teachers. I've worked with education-sector colleagues on a SUII-funded project to develop a shared understanding of research ethics among schools, local authorities, government, and universities to forward more collaborative research practices. Finally, I'm part of an interdisciplinary team with Dr Mark Haw, Dr Abdul Sharif, and Dr Jordan Kistler that focuses on using science fiction to enhance ethical imagination among STEM students & professionals. 

My teaching similarly focuses on widening access. I've led initiatives in the Institute to embed academic literacies into teacher education, master's programmes, and doctoral support with an eye toward ensuring that all students have the tools they need to create meaningful language (especially to write effectively) in a higher education setting. Over the last four years, I have taught across the PGDE, BA Primary Education, MSc Education Studies, Supporting Teacher Learning MEd pathway, BA Childhood Practice, and Joint Honours courses. As well, I supervise PhD, EdD, and MSc students.

I am an honorary chaplain for the University chaplaincy, with a particular focus on creating a welcoming environment for international students. Outside the University, I serve on the governing body of the Scottish Episcopal Institute (a theological HEI).