Biography
I am lecturer in sociology of sport and the Programme Leader for the BSc (Hons) Sport Development and Coaching degree. My research interests are focused primarily on athletic identity construction, confirmation and maintenance and the challenges associated with these processes. In doing so, I focus on the embodied lives of athletes and how they narratively construct their identities over time. However, my broader interests are around inequity, inequality and discrimination in sport and exercise subcultures.
I have worked with SportScotland to provide educational material for sports coaches on gender equity. I have also worked with British Blind Sport on their First Steps project to enable visually impaired children across the UK to engage in physical activity.
As part of my outreach work, I am part of the Active Girls Dundee working group, which is supporting Active Schools Coordinators to provide more equitable sport and physical activity opportunities for girls. I am also on the Scottish Gymnastics Board Advisory Group for Governance, the Advisory Board for Cambridge Scholars Publishing Group and I am an Athena SWAN panelist.
Before joining Abertay in 2014, I carried out my doctoral research at Cardiff Metropolitan University. This work explored the embodied lives and narratives of trampoline gymnasts over the course of their career. Prior to this, I completed an MA in Sport, Culture and Society and BSc (Hons) in Sport and Physical Education at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
