I am a Reader in Environmental Humanities, in the Department of English at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, researching and teaching across the disciplines of Literature, Creative Writing and Game Studies. I am Co-Director of the Manchester Game Centre, a cross-faculty research group that brings together work on games from the Arts, Humanities, Social Science, Business and Management, Environmental Sciences and Computer Science.

As a researcher at Utrecht University, I work with colleagues in the Green Media group on the STRATEGIES Horizon-UKRI funded project. I am part of the Project Management team for STRATEGIES (A Sustainable TRAnsiTion for Europe’s Game IndustrIES), supporting Europe’s game industries in realising their potential as drivers of sustainable innovation, contributing to achieving the goals of the European Green Deal and delivering an economy that works for people.

My innovative research investigates how culture, creativity, and play can tackle climate change and other social issues. Working across Game Studies and Literature I develop new approaches to address the imaginative challenge represented by environmental crisis and attendant feelings of powerlessness among marginalised groups. Since gaining my PhD in literary studies (2016), I have developed expertise in several areas: literary criticism and theory, which I have deployed in the areas of Gothic Studies and Children’s Literature; co-production and participatory research methods, which I have developed to support young people’s politics on climate change; and Game Studies, where I am building a reputation in game design for sustainability and social impact. Though these research areas are distinct, my work forges cognate connections between them.

I am also a creative working in the indie game design space. My original games have been published with indie game distributors and I am currently putting together a kickstarter campaign for a new roleplaying game, Rooted in Crisis. This work is underpinned by academic research and seeks to bridge academia and the creative industries.