With a career spanning more than three decades, I am an internationally engaged scholar in applied linguistics, intercultural communication, and Francophone studies whose work bridges languages, disciplines, and sectors. Publishing in both French and English, I bring a global perspective to research, teaching, and academic leadership, with a sustained commitment to advancing languages and intercultural competence in higher education and society.
I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Linguists and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I also serve as a member of the Royal Irish Academy"s multidisciplinary committee for the Study of Languages, Literature, Culture, and Communication. I have represented my institution in national and international organisations, including Routes into Languages, the University Council of Modern Languages, and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, contributing to policy discussions, disciplinary advocacy, and sector-wide initiatives.
I began my higher education career as an Assistant Professor in 1993 and have progressed through successive promotions to Senior Lecturer, Principal Lecturer, Reader, and currently Associate Professor. Throughout this trajectory, I have championed research-informed teaching across both face-to-face and digital environments, embedding active learning, inclusive curriculum design, and assessment-for-learning principles. I have led teacher education programmes addressing curriculum development, learning design, professional practice, and specialist subject pedagogy, and I regularly mentor colleagues seeking professional recognition through promotion and professional accreditation.
My leadership in education is complemented by extensive experience in quality assurance, curriculum validation, and external examining. I have overseen programme review and redesign, aligned performance indicators with institutional and national benchmarks, and developed student recruitment and retention strategies informed by data analytics. These activities demonstrate my commitment to maintaining academic standards while fostering innovation within Languages, Literatures, and Cultural Studies.
My research leadership encompasses supervision, examination, and international scholarly collaboration. I have supervised and examined research from undergraduate capstone projects and master"s dissertations to PhD and Professional Doctorates, and I have trained doctoral supervisors and viva voce chairs. I have served on research committees, peer-review panels, and editorial boards, including appointments as Associate Editor for international journals.
I have chaired international conferences, developed global research partnerships, and led internationally funded research projects that contribute to institutional income generation, knowledge exchange, and broader societal impact. Through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and sustained engagement with professional and industry partners, I have translated research into professional practice and policy-relevant outcomes.
My academic leadership includes roles as Course Leader, Course Director, Postgraduate Programme Director, Academic Section Coordinator, and Head of Department with line-management responsibilities. Across these positions, I have demonstrated strategic vision, collegial governance, and a sustained commitment to strengthening research culture, enhancing educational provision, and advancing the visibility and impact of languages, intercultural communication, and applied linguistics within a globally engaged university environment.
Areas for PhD supervision:
Applied Intercultural communication studies, translation and interpreting, discourse analysis, teaching and learning, professional developments, language pedagogy, comparative literature, French and francophone studies.
