About
I am Professor of English and Contemporary Culture and Head of the School of Humanities, Law and Creative Arts at the University of Derby. I lead a large, interdisciplinary academic community spanning the disciplines of Humanities, Creative Arts, Journalism and Media, Law, Criminology, Policing and Social Sciences.
My academic leadership focuses on strengthening educational performance, developing research and innovation capacity, and creating the conditions in which colleagues and students can thrive. I have extensive experience of leading organisational change, shaping academic portfolios and developing curricula that connect disciplinary knowledge with professional practice and industry integration.
I am particularly interested in the connections between disciplines, and in how universities work with cultural, civic and industry partners to generate new knowledge, widen opportunity and contribute to the places and communities they serve. This includes developing strategic partnerships that bring together education, research, creative practice and regional development.
Civic and cultural partnerships are central to my leadership. I work with organisations including The Arkwright Society at Cromford Mills, Derby Theatre, QUAD and Artcore to develop collaborations that connect education, research and creative practice with the cultural life and development of Derby and Derbyshire.
This includes work on the development of a World Craft Region for Derbyshire and a World Craft Academy in Derby, bringing together heritage, contemporary making, skills, creative enterprise and innovation. I am particularly interested in the role universities can play in connecting cultural heritage with contemporary industry and in creating opportunities for collaboration across the arts, humanities, sciences and professional disciplines.
I serve on the University's Governing Council as an Academic Board representative, contributing to institutional governance and the representation of academic perspectives in strategic decision-making.
Professional interests
My professional interests centre on academic leadership, educational transformation and the development of interdisciplinary academic communities.
I have led significant organisational change in higher education, including academic portfolio development, workforce transformation and initiatives to strengthen educational performance, research capacity and external engagement. My approach combines strategic direction with collegial leadership, creating the structures and opportunities through which individuals and teams can develop and succeed.
A particular priority is improving student outcomes, including addressing inequalities in educational attainment and strengthening graduate employability. I am interested in how industry-integrated curricula, interdisciplinary working and purposeful partnerships can enhance educational quality while responding to changing professional and societal needs.
I also have a longstanding interest in academic governance and disciplinary advocacy. I serve on the University of Derby's Governing Council and have previously held senior roles within University English, contributing to national conversations about the development and future of the discipline.
Across these activities, I am particularly committed to connecting educational ambition with research, innovation and civic engagement, and to demonstrating the contribution universities can make to their communities and regions.
Research interests
My research explores relationships between space, identity, representation and cultural practice. Rooted in contemporary literary and cultural studies, my work examines how boundaries and structures shape experience, from architecture and the built environment to the body and its representation in literature and visual culture.
A longstanding interest in textual architecture, labyrinths and transgression has informed my work on contemporary fiction, horror, science fiction, children's literature and detective narratives.
More recently, my research has developed in two interdisciplinary directions.
Sport, media and technology
The first explores voice, representation and power in sport and media. Working with Professor Dinusha Mendis and Dr Rafaelle Nicholson, I have explored the changing dynamics of the tennis press conference, examining questions of athlete voice, media representation and emerging technologies. This research continues to inform my interest in how established cultural and media practices are being reshaped by technological change, and brings together perspectives from literary and cultural studies, journalism, law and technology.
Communities That Changed the World: Understanding the Local Context of Global Heritage
The second examines living heritage, materiality and making, particularly the relationships between traditional cultural practices, contemporary craft and place. Current work in Derby and Derbyshire explores how making traditions can inform cultural identity, skills, creative enterprise and regional development, connecting academic research with cultural organisations, communities and industry.
Led by Dr Cath Feely, Prof Alessio D'Angelo and me are co-investigators on this University of Derby VC Impact Accelerator-funded project (£9,784). The research explores relationships between global industrial heritage and the local communities whose lives and experiences are connected to it.
Across these interests, I am particularly drawn to collaborative research that connects disciplines and creates opportunities for cultural participation, dialogue and wider public engagement.
I welcome enquiries from prospective doctoral researchers working in contemporary literature and culture, spatiality and representation, cultural practice, media, heritage and place.
Membership of professional bodies
I have contributed to disciplinary representation, professional networks and academic governance across the higher education sector.
I have been a member of the Executive Committee of University English, including serving as Deputy Vice-Chair (2015–2017) and Secretary (2017–2018). My work included supporting national disciplinary discussions and developing opportunities for networking and collaboration among Heads of Department and Subject Leaders.
I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
My professional affiliations include the British Association for Contemporary Literary Studies, Contemporary Women's Writing and the English Association.
I have undertaken external examining and academic quality assurance roles at a number of institutions, including Ulster University and Liverpool John Moores University.
Experience in industry
My experience of working with industry and external organisations centres on developing partnerships that connect education, research and innovation with professional practice, cultural production and regional development.
I chair the University of Derby's strategic partnership with the Arkwright Society at Cromford Mills, part of the UNESCO Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. In this University-wide leadership role, I coordinate interdisciplinary engagement with the Society's heritage regeneration ambitions, including its National Lottery Heritage Fund programme. The partnership draws on expertise across heritage, creative industries, education, sustainability and enterprise to support research, student learning, community engagement and the future development of the site.
I work with cultural and creative organisations including Derby Theatre, QUAD, Artcore and other regional partners to develop opportunities for collaborative research, creative practice, student experience and graduate employment. I am particularly interested in partnerships that bring together different sectors and disciplines, connecting cultural production with education, innovation and wider civic benefit.
This includes involvement in the developing World Craft Region initiative for Derbyshire and World Craft Academy for Derby, exploring connections between heritage, contemporary craft, advanced manufacturing and creative enterprise.
My external engagement also includes collaborations with writers, publishers, literary festivals and cultural practitioners, including public conversations with leading authors and interdisciplinary projects combining literature, film and creative production.
International experience
International collaboration has been an important part of my academic career, particularly through interdisciplinary projects connecting literature, cultural practice, research and student learning.
I have held Visiting Professorships at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, and the University of Delhi, India, and contributed to international projects involving creative practitioners, universities and cultural organisations.
These have included interdisciplinary filmmaking and literary activities associated with the European Festival of the Short Story in Croatia and the Jaipur Literature Festival in India. The latter included work led by Prof Sunita Toor on the Justice for Her initiative, exploring gender, representation and social justice through creative collaboration.
I have also undertaken international academic partnership and quality assurance activity, including work in Sri Lanka.
More recently, my interests in living heritage and contemporary making have introduced further opportunities for international collaboration, particularly through the development of the World Craft Region and Academy initiatives.
Selected media and public engagement activities include:
- 2026: 'Beyond the Labyrinth: Remaking narrative, place and gender in Angela Carter's The Passion of New Eve and Patricia Duncker's James Miranda Barry', Transatlantic Literary Women, University of Derby
- 2025: 'Vampiric Skins: Surface, Desire, and Traumatic Archives, from Dracula to Generative AI', Dracula Returns to Derby
- 2025: 'Ink Tales: The Tattoo in Literature and Film'. Public talk, CivicLAB, Derby.
- 2025: 'Game, set, glitch: why post-match press conferences are broken and how holograms could fix them', Sport in Society
- 2025: In conversation with Lucy Mangan, Bookish, Derby Book Festival.
- 2024: Contributor to Inside the Wasp Factory, BBC Radio 4, marking 40 years of Iain Banks' novel.
- 2021: 'Social media has helped Gen Z athletes find their authentic voice', The Conversation, with co-authors Prof Carly Stewart and Prof Dinusha Mendis.
- 2021: Cox, K., and M. Stockton-Brown (2021) 'Frankenstein: Creation, Adaptation and Copyright Law', Frankenlaw, Critical Legal Conference 2021, Dundee University.
Recent publications
Journal articles
Edited collection
Book chapters