Career history
Since January 2024 I have been Senior Lecturer in Literacies and Language in the School of Education at the University of Sheffield where I started work as Lecturer in Literacies in April 2019. From September 2020 to February 2024 I co-directed the BA in Education, Culture and Childhood with Yinka Olusoga. I took up deputy directorship of the EdD in September 2022, working with Louise Kay, and I co-directed the Literacies Research Cluster 2019-2022 with Fiona Scott. I've been an academic 'officially' since 2017, but worked in an academic-related role since 2005, including teaching, project management and external relations.
Not listed here, but important nonetheless, is that I have extensive waitressing experience (various cafes, restaurants and bars in UK and Paris, 1996 - 2002; a short stint as 'casual waitress' in a coffee shop in Mosman, Sydney, Australia, 2008; and as a researcher-waitress-volunteer in Leeds, 2014-2015 - one day I would love to write a book on waitressing as research method), have worked the shopfloor of a luxury department store (at the peak of Juicy Couture velour tracksuit mania), and activated people's American Express cards in a call centre in Newcastle upon Tyne. Waitressing and shopwork (shopwork in particular!) remain my most challenging and physically demanding jobs to date and people doing this important work have my utmost respect.
Academic career:
Current role:
April 2019 - present: Lecturer (Assistant Professor, Grade 8) in Literacies, School of Education, University of Sheffield.
Previous roles:
September 2018 – April 2019: Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Linguistics and Education, Leeds Trinity University, UK.
October 2017 – July 2018: Research and Evaluation Officer (post-doctoral), Institute of Childhood and Education, Leeds Trinity University, UK, funded by Higher Education Funding Council for England (now Office for Students) for two research and evaluation projects of ‘Driving Social Mobility Through Degree Apprenticeships’ project and ‘National Collaborative Outreach Programme’.
October 2017 – January 2018: Research Assistant, Signs Beyond Borders project (PI, Elisabetta Adami), School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds, UK.
January 2016 – September 2017: Co-PI, Project Manager and Researcher, ‘Migration and Home: Welcome in Utopia’, ‘Migration and Settlement: Extending the Welcome’, LangScape Curators, School of Education, University of Leeds, UK.
January 2015 – March 2017: Various teaching responsibilities across undergraduate modules and postgraduate seminars, School of Education and School of History, University of Leeds, UK.
October 2014 – September 2018: AHRC-funded Postgraduate Researcher, School of Education, University of Leeds, UK.
Professional services/academic related career:
January 2005 – September 2014: Arts Educational Engagement Officer, Educational Engagement, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, University of Leeds, UK, including coordination and teaching of ‘Linguists into Schools’ module for undergraduate languages students.
Administrative/translation career:
October 2008 – April 2009: Coordinator, Autism Advisor Programme, Autism Spectrum Australia (ASPECT), Sydney, Australia.
October 2002 – December 2004: Trilingual Contracts Executive, Cendant Vacation Rental Group, Leeds, UK.