About
I studied in the School of History at the University of Bristol, graduating with a BA in 1984 and a PhD in 1991. I held a research fellowship in politics at Bristol (1988-89); and temporary lectureships at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, London in social policy and social science (1989-90); and at Warwick University in politics (1990-92). I joined Swansea University in 1992, and after promotions to senior lecturer and reader was appointed to a personal Chair in Politics in 2012.
As a researcher I have focused on the territorial politics of how the UK is governed, relating both to devolved and local government. I am interested in analysing the statecraft of governing, as well as political, policy and representation implications of territorial government. My recent work has focused on the analysis of devolution since the late 1990s and includes my forthcoming book, Constitutional Policy and Territorial Politics in the UK: Union and Devolution, 1997-2007 (Bristol University Press, 2021).
Since 2021, I have been Associate Dean in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, responsible for Research, Innovation and Impact. Since 2022 I have also been the University Lead for research in Resilience in the University’s strategic partnership with the University Grenoble Alpes. I am also Lead for the University’s ESRC and AHRC Impact Acceleration Accounts. Previously, I was Director of Research in the College of Arts and Humanities, 2017-21. I was Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Applied Social Sciences, 2012-16. During this time, I was also the University Lead in the collaborative Wales ESRC Doctoral Training Centre, 2011-16. I was Head of the Department of Political and Cultural Studies, 2010-12.
In my teaching, I convene the final year undergraduate module on the Welsh Parliament/Senedd Cymru and supervise PhD and dissertation students. I have supervised ten successful PhD students who have gone on to careers in government, research and education. I am interested in supervising new research students in the areas of comparative/ UK devolution, UK politics and public policy.