Personal statement

I joined the University in 2013, and am currently a Senior Lecturer in Politics. After receiving my PhD in 2002 from Trinity College Dublin, I taught at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim and the University of Aberdeen before joining Strathclyde. I currently teach classes on research methodology and the role of political parties.

My research focuses on elections and party politics, especially the role of the mass media in elections in Britain and elsewhere as well as in the Scottish referendum campaign of 2014. I am also involved in studying how well European party systems represent different parts of society and the impact of the quality of representation on our satisfaction with democracy.

I also currently hold the position of Director of Graduate Studies (Research) in the School of Government and Public Policy where my role is to oversee recruitment and admissions into our doctoral program and to support our PhD students during their studies.