Email: portico-services@ucl.ac.uk
Help Desk: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ras/portico/helpdesk
- Associate Professor
- Language & Cognition
- Div of Psychology & Lang Sciences
- Faculty of Brain Sciences


My research is focused on understanding the impact of language and communication disorders on the everyday communication activities of adults with acquired neurological conditions, particularly post-stroke aphasia and dementia, and their effects on life participation. I also lead research to evaluate communication skills interventions for these populations and communication training packages for healthcare professionals. I conduct mixed methods research that combines qualitative analysis of interview and focus group data, and conversation analysis, with quantitative techniques in psycholinguistics and intervention studies. Recent projects include: conversation-analytic investigations of aphasia (ESRC R000222754, R000239306, ESRC/MRC PTA-037-27-0078), the design and evaluation of Better Conversations with Aphasia (Stroke Association TSA2007/05), an intervention programme that was translated with ESRC funding (RES-189-25-0292) into a free online resource for speech and language therapists, patients and families that currently has 5600+ registered users worldwide (free at https://extendstore.ucl.ac.uk/product?catalog=UCLXBCA ), and the design and evaluation of communication skills training for healthcare professionals working with people with dementia in hospitals, the VOICE study (NIHR HS&DR, 13/114/93).
I have a 1.0 FTE permanent post at UCL, with responsibilities in research including PhD supervision and supervision of SLTs funded by the NIHR Pre-doctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship (PCAF) scheme, teaching and masters project supervision (MSc Speech & Language Sciences (SLS) – an SLT training course) and enabling (e.g. Head of Year B of the MSc SLS, coordination of MSc SLS project module, assessment of student SLTs’ clinical practice, personal tutoring). I am the department's research champion for SLTs who want to become research active via masters or PhD-level training, and lead yearly support sessions in this area.
2005 | Doctor of Philosophy | University College London | |
1993 | Bachelor of Arts (Honours) | University of Reading |