Welcome to my website! I work at the University of Sheffield in the UK as a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Political Science and Director of Education for the School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations. I am also a Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia. In these roles, I research, write and teach about political behaviour  (specifically trust, personality, and decision-making) and democratic education (specifically equality of access and outcomes).

I have published my research in a range of high profile peer-reviewed journals, such as the British Journal of Political Science, and I have held grants from a range of funding bodies including the ESRC, Leverhulme Trust, and the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. My first book, Who Enters Politics and Why?, was described as “the best account to date of the psychology of UK political leaders” (Professor Peter Allen, University of Bath). My second book, Governing in an Age of Distrust, “turn[ed] the field of comparative political trust research completely on its head” (Professor Sonja Zmerli, Sciences Po).

Through my work, I engage with a dynamic network of impact partners in parliamentary circles and civil society, and I have previously held a number of elected positions within my discipline’s professional body, the UK Political Studies Association. My efforts to engage beyond academe earned me the Chancellor's Medal from the University of Sheffield in recognition of 'outstanding contributions to the Faculty of Social Sciences' and 'impressive achievements in government and parliamentary circles'.

Alongside academic conference presentations, I routinely deliver guest lectures about my research at other universities in the UK and abroad, and I have appeared in print, radio and television outlets including The Guardian, the Washington Post, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC World, GB News, Sky News, LBC Radio, and TimesRadio, as well as featuring on a series of podcasts such as Politicwise and The Bunker.

I have received recognition for my research from academic peers and civil society alike. In 2024, I was awarded the Richard Rose Prize for Outstanding Contributions to Advancing Knowledge by the UK Political Studies Association. In 2022, I was named on a global list of ‘50 influential researchers whose work might help to shape 21st century politicians’ (Apolitical Foundation).