I am a Senior Researcher at the Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) North Yorkshire, and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at HYMS. I have a background in critical urban geography and housing research, and my work largely focuses on social and spatial inequality and marginality. My research has spanned several topics within this vein, including research on territorial stigma, gentrification, urban governance, and digital exclusion. Over the course of my career so far, I have worked with a wide range of partners to deliver timely research which speaks to policy issues. My role at HDRC North Yorkshire is an exciting opportunity for me to work at the intersection between academic research and local decision-making, with a focus on the wider determinants of health, including housing inequalities.
I completed my PhD studies in Geography at Durham University, where my work focused on territorial stigma, urban regeneration, and urban governance. After finishing my PhD, I worked as a Research Associate at the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, University of Cambridge, examining a wide range of topics from housing inequalities, assistive technologies in housing settings, digital exclusion, and social housing stigma. During my time at the University of Cambridge, I was also Director of Studies in Land Economy at St Edmund’s College, providing support and academic guidance to undergraduate students. I am passionate about ensuring my work delivers evidence to inform policy and practice for tackling inequalities, and am continuing to build collaborations which speak to this aim in my role at HDRC North Yorkshire.
I am particularly interested in marginal urban economies, urban regeneration and governance, and the ways in which housing inequality intersects with other forms of disadvantage. I have carried out extensive research into territorial stigma, including a project examining how the stigmatisation of social housing is experienced by tenants, and how interactions with social landlords shape these experiences. This builds upon my PhD studies, which focused on how territorially stigmatised urban spaces have been framed, how the politicised discourses surrounding these spaces have informed the processes of governance which shape cities, and how exclusionary spaces emerge. I have also carried out a wide range of research on digital geographies, examining the relationship between housing inequalities and digital exclusion. Some of my most recent work on this topic sought to understand how digital exclusion is experienced by social housing tenants and people living in temporary accommodation. In my role at HDRC North Yorkshire, I am working at the intersection between research and local government, collaborating closely with North Yorkshire Council colleagues to feed my research into policy responses.
Over the course of my career to date, I have taught on a wide range of topics in Human Geography, including on territorial stigma, gentrification, housing policy and smart cities. This includes lectures as well as small group teaching, and dissertation supervision at undergraduate and Master’s level. In my role at HDRC North Yorkshire, I continue to enjoy delivering guest lectures and training.