My main research interests are in using playful approaches and digital games to support adult learning, as well as impacts on work, social engagement and wellbeing. I am particularly interested in the potential of games and play to support learning, but also how they can unintentionally create barriers to engagement. More widely, I am interested in digital learning and digital practice in Higher Education.

I am interested in the design of digital play and video games for learning, and how playful learning approaches can be used to make learning more engaging and inclusive, and how play can be used to create safe spaces in which to learn from failure. 

My work is interdisciplinary and draws on user experience design, video game design, play studies, education, and psychology.

I have a varied academic background starting with a degree in Business Management from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne followed by several years working in the not-for-profit sector. In my late twenties I returned to education and undertook a masters degree in Information Systems at Edinburgh Napier University followed by a part-time PhD while working in a range of learning technology and academic development roles.

After completing my PhD in the potential of collaborative video games for learning I moved to the School of Education at Manchester Metropolitan University where I stayed until 2018. This was followed by a five-year stint as Director for the Centre for Academic Development at Durham University before moving to Northumbria in September 2023.