My undergraduate studies at the University of Edinburgh brought me to the city. I combined this with summers spent working at the Edinburgh festivals. Through the early years of the century I built up my festival experience, completed my MSc, and traveled. This provided a great platform on which to develop my academic teaching and research career with Edinburgh Napier, from 2007 on.
My research interests have primarily focused on cultural festivals and the broader festival economy. In recent years this has involved the use of social network analysis, which is a methodology that has seen relatively little application in this field. I completed my PhD in September 2022 with Tilburg University, in The Netherlands. The work was titled "Social network analysis and festival relationships: personal, organisational and strategic connections". My thesis is available to download from the Tilburg University repository, and the Outputs tab on my staff profile page. I am now involved in further research involving festival networks, working with colleagues from ENU and Australian universities to conduct empirical analysis with festival organisations.
I have been a Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University since September 2007, combining this with my role as Programme Leader for the university's BA (Hons) International Festival & Event Management suite of courses. In a teaching capacity I have led modules that are delivered in Edinburgh and overseas, spanning students from all four years of our undergraduate programmes. I also supervise Live Projects and Work Based Learning placement students in a range of industrial sectors, supporting and mentoring them through the process and helping our industry partners to benefit as much as possible. I co-teach an MSc module with Prof. Jane Ali-Knight. I am a supervisor to one PhD student, and Independent Panel Chair to another.
My wider role as Programme Leader includes the monitoring, development and evaluation of the core curriculum presented to the students.
Since autumn 2023 I have been Deputy School Academic Lead for Quality Enhancement at The Business School.
Research Interests
My research interests and outputs are focused on festivals and creative communities. I have a longstanding interest in social networks, with social network analysis underpinning the research methodologies of the projects that contributed to my 2022 PhD with Tilburg University.
I have become increasingly engaged with pedagogical research since completing my PhD. This has happened alongside increasingly engagement with the Department for Learning and Teaching Enhancement (DLTE). I am currently engaged in empirical research on active learning, having contributed to the development of Craiglockhart's new active learning classroom, and my students' experiences of using the room.
Teaching and Learning
From a teaching and learning perspective, I have two main focuses as of 2024-2025. At a module level, I am continuing to develop and apply a collaborative pedagogical model involving active learning in the classroom, alongside students' engagement with shared digital canvas spaces. I have shared my experiences in various forums, both online and in person.
At a programme level I have a deep interest in the university's ENhance framework. I have used ENhance to create an "Edinburgh Napier model of festival and event management", bringing increased identity to the programme, and additional value to the university experiences of students and tutors. I am working to develop a way to share this approach with colleagues across the institution.
PhD Supervision Availability
Yes
PhD Topics
My PhD was titled: Social network analysis and festival relationships: personal, organisational and strategic connections. The full text is available from my Worktribe profile, and Tilburg University's online repository. (https://research.tilburguniversity.edu/en/publications/social-network-analysis-and-festival-relationships-personal-organ)
