I am Associate Head of School (Research) for Art, Design and Architecture and a Professor in Smart Cities and Communities

My research expertise includes smart cities, smart villages, digital technologies and the role of space and place. I am co-author with Alex Aurigi of two key Routledge volumes on Smart Cities, and in 2015 published Netspaces: Space and Place in a Networked World. My approach to smart cities is focused on the community in the spaces and the need to build from the ground-up to create inclusive environments. I have published widely on the topic. I am currently working on a range of funded research projects that explore how new technologies can create ways for people and communities to engage with place, with a particular focus on social and digital inclusion.

I was Interim Head of School of Art, Design and Architecture from 2021-2022, and previously REF UoA 13 Coordinator (2015-2022) in the School of Art, Design and Architecture and Co-Chair of the  Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) within the School of Art, Design and Architecture (2019-2022).

I am a Visiting Research Fellow, The Centre for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), Kings College London.

From January 2024 to January 2025 I will be a Visiting Fellow at the Western Academy for Advanced Research at Western University, Canada.

Design Council Expert (Specialist) 

Member of ITU Enabling People-Centred Cities through Digital Transformation Thematic Group

AHRC Peer Review College (2018–present)

Board member - Fab City Plymouth

Board member - South West Infrastructure Partnership (SWIP) (2021-present)

Board Member of Connected Plymouth (2017–2021)

Trustee, Cornwall Museum Partnership (2021-2023)

Trustee, Co-Cars (2022-2022)