I began teaching in 2012 and evolved into academic English and study skills support, working closely with students navigating the expectations of university study by 2015. Over time, this work developed into a broader interest in the everyday realities students encounter within higher education, particularly postgraduate and international students who arrive with strong intellectual potential but often find themselves navigating unfamiliar academic systems.

Working directly with students over many years provided a unique vantage point. Again and again, I observed capable and motivated learners struggling not because of a lack of ability, but because the implicit rules of academic culture were rarely made visible. Expectations around argument, critical engagement, research practice, and scholarly voice were often assumed rather than explicitly taught.

These experiences gradually shaped my interest in the intersection between teaching practice, academic development, and questions of equity within higher education.

My current work focuses on the gap between students’ intellectual potential and the often opaque expectations of university study. In particular, I am interested in the challenges faced by postgraduate and international students who may encounter unclear academic conventions, disciplinary language barriers, cultural differences in educational practice, and inconsistent systems of academic support. At the heart of this inquiry is a guiding question: How can education be reimagined as a tool for justice, not control -especially for those navigating its hidden rules?

Much of my work therefore sits at the intersection of teaching, academic advising, and academic development. I approach these areas through a practice that combines academic guidance with relational awareness, cultural sensitivity, and careful academic signposting. This space brings together elements of my work in these areas, including teaching practice, reflections on student support, and contributions to conversations about equity and inclusion in higher education.

More recently, my work engages with the intersection of education and emerging technologies, particularly AI, and the ways in which these shifts are reshaping student voice, authorship, and identity in contemporary, international academic contexts.

On Decolonising and Reframing the Teaching of Critical Thinking, Global Cultures Symposium, King's College London