I joined the University of Bath in November 2017, I am a Senior Lecturer in Physical Activity and Public Health within the Department for Health.

I am a researcher with a particular interest in physical activity, health, and wellbeing, with a particular interest in children, adolescents, and families. I am interested in how weight stigma is experienced by young adults, particularly young women, and the role that social media plays, including the impact of influencer culture.

I also have interest in how community-level interventions can be used to increase population-levels of physical activity, improve public health, and reduce health inequalities. I have interests in improving evaluation of real-world health interventions. I have experience in quantitative and qualitative research, and my research has utilised both objective and self-reported measures.

I have conducted research and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate research projects on a wide range of physical activity topics including:

• Schools-based physical activity
• Physical activity among families, in rural or isolated communities, and among young people with CFS/ME.
• Associations between physical activity and menstruation
• Association between weather and physical activity
• Physical activity as a treatment for mental health
• Physical activity by stealth through play interventions

I have also conducted research and supervised projects on a broader range of public health issues, including:

• Prevention and management of type 2 diabetes
• Change in timings to postnatal health visiting contacts
• Sugar consumption
• Screen-viewing behaviours and sedentary time
• How obesity research is portrayed on social media
• Weight stigma experiences of young women
• Social media fitness culture and mental health
• The role of the body in adolescent girls' friendships
• COVID-19 and lifestyle behaviours
• Sexual health knowledge and modern contraceptive use in China
• Rheumatoid diseases and pregnancy outcomes
• Health inequalities

I completed a PhD in Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Exeter in 2014, evaluating ‘Devon Active Villages’ – a community-level physical activity intervention delivered to rural villages across Devon. In December 2013, I started as a Research Associate at the University of the West of England evaluating ‘Living Well, Taking Control’ – a community-based type 2 diabetes prevention and management lifestyle education programme. In 2015, I joined the University of Bristol as a Senior Research Associate, project managing the British Heart Foundation-funded longitudinal study ‘B-Proact1v’, which investigated physical activity and screen-viewing behaviours among families as children progress through primary school.

Since joining the University of Bath, I have developed links with a number of external organisations, including working with Wesport on the evaluation and monitoring of their Satellite Clubs and Refugee Coach Workforce programmes, and Bath & North East Somerset on their public health initiatives, whole systems approach to obesity prevention, and as a member of the Health and Wellbeing Board. I started a 2.5 year role as a Researcher in Residence with Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire NHS Integrated Care Board evaluating preventative health approaches across the locality partnerships.

I have published my research in leading peer-reviewed journals and academic conferences, and have been successful in securing in excess of £650k worth of external funding as a primary investigator and co-applicant on research projects (e.g., NIHR, CRUK, ESRC). I teach on both the Department for Health's BSc (Hons) Health and Exercise Science programme and the Professional Doctorate in Health programme, where I supervise a range of UK and international health professionals conducting impactful research studies.

Research interests:

-          Physical activity, health and wellbeing among children and young people

-          Robust evaluations of community programmes

-          Community-wide public health interventions

-          Working with local and national organisations to improve evaluation

-          The role social media plays in shaping health knowledge, views and stigma