Biography

I am currently employed as an Associate Research Professor within the Business School. As is not uncommon in the social sciences and business fields, my career path has crossed between practice and research. The interdisciplinary nature of my academic research and practice experience therefore rests within three key disciplines: human and organisational development, management, and wellbeing. These disciplines span two Edinburgh Napier University Schools namely School of Health and Social Care and The Business School. My background in these fields continues to stimulate my interest and expand my knowledge across these disciplines as evidenced in my research, supervision, and teaching activity. In addition, I work with several voluntary and public sector organisations devoted to military transition, education, and wellbeing including regionally on the Edinburgh Military Education Committee (MEC) and nationally on the Council of Military Education Committees (COMEC). I am the founder and Director of the Centre for Military Research, Education and Public Engagement and the University Research Lead for military Research.

Since 1997 I have consistently held leadership roles in research development and management. I have held several a strategic research leadership roles within The Business School including Director of the home and international Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Programmes and in the role of Joint Director of Research at the Business School. The expertise gained as programme leader of the DBA at Napier is now being shared in my role as an external examiner and mentor to the DBA programme at University of Central Lancashire. Within my key disciplines I have supervised over 45 home and international doctoral students to completion predominately as the Director of Studies and acted as an external doctoral examiner both nationally and internationally. I have been nominated twice for the Times Higher Supervisor of the year. For the last 10 years I have shared my knowledge and experience of research supervision by mentoring junior supervisors on my supervision teams. I have also provided training on doctoral supervision to international partners such as PSB as part of our delivery of the DBA in Singapore. Moreover, I have worked with the UK Council for Graduate Education on 2 working groups related to supervision and laterally as a member of the steering group for their 5th International Conference held online but hosted by Edinburgh Napier University in April 2022.

I regularly publish in peer reviewed journals, have published several book chapters and completed commissioned research evaluation reports. I am a member of the Editorial Board for ‘European Journal of Training and Development’, Associate Editor of the Journal of Veteran Studies and peer review for several other academic journals. Additionally, I have been an active participant on School and University Research Degree and Innovation and Ethics Committees as both Member and Chair. Externally I sit on several local and national and international committees and working groups related to military wellbeing and education. I have substantial and sustained income generation portfolio amounting to well over £1 million. This includes a key research role on two major Erasmus + programmes CAREMAN and DOCMAN which examined the discipline of human and organisational development and management within the health arena. Other studies within these disciplines were funded by the NHS and the Department of Health. The focus on wellbeing, was reflected in studies funded by MacMillan and The Queen’s Nursing Institute, Scotland. My most recent grant of £300,000 from Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) aims to investigate the experience of military transition in Scotland which further develops all my key disciplinary interests.