My research focuses on parenting, the formation of values, aspirations and moral attitudes and understanding the causes and consequences of educational inequality. My research is broadly within the sociology of education, but I have strongly interdisciplinary interests. In earlier papers, I examined how young people develop, explain and justify their educational and occupational goals. More recently, with Dr. Katherin Barg at Exeter University, we have developed a program of research that explores the interconnections between parenting, socio-economic background, and educational inequalities. We are also interested in exploring how family life and parenting has changed over time and differs between countries and cultures. I welcome applicants from prospective PhD students with shared interests.

Methodologically much of my research draws on high quality secondary data such as the Millennium Cohort Study but I also have expertise in conducting interviews, focus groups, and designing mixed-methods studies.