Jo is Professor of Social Psychology of Education at the University of Bristol. Her background is in social psychology, and she has been working in educational research since 2001. Her research interests lie specifically in relational dynamics, considering how people from different backgrounds work together. She has explored this in the areas of educational partnerships (including parental engagement in education) and collaborative working, and young people’s trajectories through the educational system. Jo’s work uses a wide diversity of methods: both quantitative and qualitative, both large- and small-scale, and both fixed and emergent designs. Many of her projects incorporate mixed methods, and she often works across disciplinary boundaries. This presents interesting methodological challenges and questions, and has helped to develop her range of methodological expertise.

Jo is interested in supervising doctoral students in the areas listed above (subject to capacity), with particular interests in educational partnerships and collaborative working. 

Jo is co-Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Research and Method in Education, and co-edits the book series Emerald Studies in Out-of-School Learning.