I grew up on the Kent-East Sussex border near Tunbridge Wells. I read for a BA in Modern History between 1997 and 2000, and an M.St in Historical Research in 2000-2001, both at Wadham College, Oxford. After a year out, I studied for my doctorate at the same institution, finishing in 2006. From September 2006 until August 2008 I lectured in Imperial and Commonwealth History at King's College London. I joined Aberdeen as a Lecturer, securing promotion in 2013.
My research and teaching focus on the history of the British empire and particularly the economics, politics, and culture of the Empire-Commonwealth. I have published particularly on London finance and empire, and am now moving to study business trade and empire, supported by an AHRC Early Career Fellowship on 'Commerce and the Commonwealth'.