I am a multi methods social policy researcher specialising in the experiences and outcomes of people with a learning disability across the welfare system. My research examines how policy and commissioning decisions shape access to support, with particular interests in transitions to adulthood, intersectionality, social security and adult social care. I combine statistical modelling and administrative data analysis with policy analysis and inclusive qualitative methods. My academic work is informed by extensive professional experience in commissioning SEND and social care services within local government, as well as experience in the Civil Service.

I completed my doctorate, funded by the NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR), in March 2026. My doctoral research developed a new approach to forecasting demand for adult social care among people with a learning disability, producing evidence to inform local and national service planning. In 2026, I was awarded a University of Bristol Early Career Enterprise Fellowship to translate this research into a practical forecasting resource for commissioners, available at www.ascforecasts.com.

In September 2026, I was awarded an NIHR SSCR Postdoctoral Fellowship to undertake a two-year, £200,000 research project: Pathways, Provision and Inequality: Learning Disability, Ethnicity and Adult Social Care in England. The project uses the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset to examine the post-school pathways of people with a learning disability from ethnic minority communities, including their transitions into employment, social security and adult social care. People with a learning disability will be involved in interpreting and communicating the findings, helping to identify and make visible inequalities across these pathways.