I am an interdisciplinary historian at the London School of Economics and Political Science where I am an Assistant Professor in Modern European History.
Between 2022 and 2023 I was Assistant Professor in the Social and Cultural History of the First World War. At Birmingham, I convened the MA in First World War Studies - an innovative programme delivered at the National Army Museum in London.
Between 2015 and 2023, I was a guest teacher, Fellow, and Learning Developer at the LSE where I gained experience teaching a variety of topics and designing a number of courses. I have experience leading classes on the international history of the First World War through to a range of social science topics including markets, criminal punishment, poverty and inequality, food security, and AI.I completed my doctorate at the LSE in 2018, which was funded by a prestigious LSE scholarship and awarded a Gerda Henkel scholarship by the Historial de la Grande Guerre, France, in 2017.
My research focuses on the military and cultural history of the First World War, specifically the identity and morale of English infantrymen. I have published work exploring how ‘hope’ acted as a key psychological dimension of military morale and investigating the use of postcards in the maintenance of relationships between soldiers and civilians. My work has appeared in War in History, and The Historical Journal, and The English Historical Review.
Cambridge University Press will be publishing my first book, Making Sense of the Great War: Crisis, Englishness, and Morale on the Western Front, in April 2024..
This research meant that in 2023 I was chosen to deliver the International Society for First World War Studies Dennis Showalter Memorial Lecture for an Emerging Scholar.
My work has been showcased more widely, too, in The Times and on Times Radio. Recently, I appeared on the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are where I helped comedian Chris Ramsey uncover his great-grandfather's experiences on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918.
Outside of academia, I have also worked consultant curriculum developer for several other institutions including Reach University (US) and the Centre for Tutorial Teaching (UK). My pedagogical expertise focuses on blended and distance learning, interactive student-led group work, and effective teaching practice online and in person.
If you want me to advise you on any historical feature of your project, or want some advice on academic and curriculum development, then please get in touch!