I graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Liverpool in 2005. From there, I moved to the University of Exeter where I was awarded an MSc in Social and Organisational Psychology in 2007. My PhD was completed in October 2009 and defended in the December of that year. Immediately after completing my PhD I began a postdoctoral position at the University of Limerick, followed by another at the University of Liverpool, UK. Most recently, I have rejoined the University of Limerick as a Lecturer.

My research interests are mostly related to the social identity approach, and in particular how shared identity can both impact upon, and be affected by, other aspects of our social environment.

My PhD research presented a social identity analysis of surveillance, and demonstrated that while shared social identity with the source of surveillance can make surveillance be seen more positively, the imposition of surveillance can itself affect our understanding of identity as supposedly shared between those who are watching and those being watched.

During my first postdoc, I was employed on a large-scale interdisciplinary project funded by the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) of the UK. The project focused upon the consequences of collective participation on the understanding of identity. Specifically, we examined how participating in national parades for St. Patrick’s Day and the 1916 Easter Rising commemoration affects people’s understanding of their Irish identity. The project combined qualitative and quantitative aspects, and was carried out in both Dublin and Belfast. My second postdoctoral position, at the University of Liverpool, involved developing new and existing lines of research in the broad field of group processes and intergroup relations. My post was funded by the European Commission as part of a larger project. I worked on projects examining the impact of power and status relations on inter- and intra-group relations.

In my current role, I aim to develop my existing research interests in power, surveillance, inter- and intra-group dynamics, and collectivity.