I am Senior Lecturer in Sociolinguistics in LEL and Director of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion for the School of PPLS. I am principally interested in exploring the social meaning of linguistic variation.
My primary research interest is the interrelation of digital culture and language variation and change. My work explores the relationship between people’s digital engagements and their linguistic practices.
In essence, I'm interested in topics such as "is there a TikTok accent?", "what is the function of <lol> in WhatsApp conversations?", and "does social media cause language change?". Most of my research has focussed on the digital and linguistic practices of young people and the LGBTQ+ community.
A secondary strand of my work explores topics related to language, globalisation, and social justice. I have published on the sociolinguistic dynamics of gentrification, standard language ideology and youth language, and the impact of accent bias on perceptions of professional competence.
Since January 2022, I have been working on a project which addresses linguistic discrimination and accent bias in higher education, focusing on experiences of WP and state-school educated students at the University of Edinburgh. Together with the 93% Club (a state school educated student society), we have developed training that addresses these issues. Please contact me directly if you would like us to provide training for your school/department/industry.
Prior to my appointment to Lecturer in 2022, I held teaching and research positions at Queen Mary University of London, the University of Sussex, the University of York, Newcastle University, the University of Suffolk, and Regents University London. In 2025, I was honoured to receive the EUSA Teaching Award for 'Sociolinguistics' in the category of 'Outstanding Course' in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.