I am a Senior Research Fellow in the NCCDP. In this role I develop, implement and ensure delivery of our research programme. I enjoy contributing to all aspects of our work, from writing articles and designing research strategies, to presenting to audiences and helping to design our reports.

I gained my undergraduate degree in pharmacology at the University of Manchester, and then moved to the University of Liverpool to undertake my PhD in the School of Psychology. My doctoral research focussed upon MDMA (ecstasy), its actions in the brain, and potential long-term consequences of use. Afterwards I spent a few months working as a post-doc on projects looking at the effects of social stress upon measures of drug dependence. I joined the drugs team in Centre for Public Health, LJMU in 2003, eventually specialising in drug prevention and education.  I'm currently a member of several national and European advisory boards

I also have significant research interests in psychopharmacology, and addictive behaviours, with a focus upon causes, consequences, and experiences of drug use and associated behaviours. Alongside collaborating colleagues in the UK, USA, and Switzerland, I am interested in the psychopharmacology of entactogens and hallucinogens; in particular MDMA (ecstasy). Some of my recent work for example has examined behavioural economics, sexual behaviours in the context of drug use, and explorations of patterns of use of emerging drugs. A list of my research publications can be found here