I was born in the United Kingdom and hold both British and Irish citizenship. I went to high school in Preston between 2002 and 2007, graduating with the James Henderson trophy for academic achievement. I also attended college in Preston between 2007 and 2009 and studied Physics, Maths, Chemistry and Biology at GCE A-level. Between 2009 and 2013, I was an undergraduate at the University of Birmingham and attained a first-class with honours Master of Science (MSci) in Physics and Astrophysics in July 2013. I completed my PhD in astronomy at the University of Central Lancashire in November 2016, which was funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Between February 2017 and October 2020, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Conny Aerts at the Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Belgium, and between November 2020 and August 2023 I was an FWO senior postdoctoral research fellow also based at KU Leuven. Since September 2023, I hold a Readership Faculty position in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics at Newcastle University in the UK. As of December 2023 I also hold a Royal Society University Research Fellowship (URF) in addition to my faculty position and my ongoing ERC/UKRI SYMPHONY grant. In my spare time, I enjoy reading (especially classic science fiction) and also enjoy hiking, swimming, climbing, and playing badminton and squash with friends and colleagues.

Research Network

I am a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS), a Member of the Institute of Physics (MInstP), a member of the European Astronomical Society (EAS) and a junior member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). These professional organisations allow me to network with other researchers in physics and astronomy. They also organise scientific meetings, training and mentoring workshops, which I have attended to improve my communication, outreach and career prospects, and pass my knowledge and experience onto others. I currently hold leading roles in several international consortia, including:

MOBSTER: Detection, characterisation and understanding of magnetic fields in early-type stars

CubeSpec: in-orbit proof-of-concept for spectroscopy with a cubesat and facilitating massive star asteroseismology from spectroscopic line profile variability

XShootU: UV, visible and infrared spectroscopy of massive stars at low metallicity

BEST: coordination of the BRITE-Constellation network of cubesats assembling time-series photometry of bright stars

Arago: candidate mission for M7 ESA call; chair of the 'Hot BA star' working group

Awards and Prizes

In October 2017, my PhD thesis was published as a Springer monograph. In May 2019, I published a first-author paper in Nature Astronomy on my postdoctoral research on gravity waves at KU Leuven, which was selected as the cover image for the August 2019 issue. In May 2020, I was awarded the prestigious KU Leuven Research Council Award in Science, Engineering and Technology (2020) for my breakthrough research in asteroseismology of massive stars, which is an annual prize awarded to only a single postdoctoral researcher. In December 2022, I won the Henri Vanderlinden Prize from the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts for an outstanding piece of original research work in astronomy. In January 2023, I was awarded the 2023 George Darwin Lectureship of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), for being an authoritative and engaging researcher and communicator of astronomy.

Recent News: In December 2023 I began a Royal Society University Research Fellowship (URF) alongside my Readership faculty position and ERC/UKRI SYMPHONY grant at Newcastle University.