I am a historian of race, migration and empire. My first book Exhibiting Irishness: Empire, Race and Identity, 1850s to 1960s (forthcoming) traces multiple constructions of Irish identity in national and international displays as Ireland moved from a colonial to an independent, globally-connected state. As a cultural history of Irish identity, the book considers exhibitions as a formative platform for imagining a host of Irish pasts, presents and futures. My second project continues my interest in visual histories and is provisionally titled Brumistan: Race and Resistance in Birmingham’s British Bangladeshi Communities in the 1970s and 80s, seeks to interrogate the activism, community networks and anti-racist action of this collective in the late-twentieth century. I have formerly worked at the Royal Historical Society to improve BME representation in UK History, whether working with schools and the curriculum, cultural institutions, community groups or other learned societies. I have also worked closely with museums and heritage sites as a researcher and consultant on shaping histories of the British Empire for today’s populace. Overall, I am committed to researching histories of race, migration and empire and thinking through their presentation in historic or contemporary visual platforms.

I completed my higher education training at the University of Birmingham, undertaking my BA, Masters and PhD (funded by the Arts and Humanities Council, Midlands3Cities Award). I was a Lecturer in Minorities in Multi-Ethnic Britain at Royal Holloway, University of London from 2020 to 2023. I have formerly worked with the Royal Historical Society on race equality policy in history higher education. Further, I have worked with Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery alongside the curatorial and collections team. I am a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and ECR Fellow of Royal Historical Society.