Research bio

My research focuses on the political economy of deep tech: investigating how scientific knowledge becomes material through translation into technologies, products, practices, and policies. I’m particularly interested in emerging fields such as quantum technologies, biotechnology, green tech, and space innovation. Specifically, I focus on how their development is shaped by economic, institutional, and cultural forces.

I am co-Director of the Deep Tech Innovation Centre (launching in 2026) and co-lead the Social Studies of Deep Tech research group at the University of Glasgow, where I am based. My pathway into academia came after a decade working in science media and industry as a journalist, consultant, and author, which continues to shape how I think about research, communication, and collaboration.

My PhD research (University of Edinburgh) examined the promises, product and practices of corporate futurism through the lenses of STS, economic sociology and affect studies. Alongside my doctoral work, I held research roles at the University of Glasgow, leading projects on the future of work, quantum regulation, and digital economy.

My work tends to sit at the intersection of science and technology studies (STS), economic sociology, organisation studies, and innovation policy - though I’m always keen to dip my toes in other disciplinary waters..! In exploring how science and technology are socially and politically constructed, and how innovation systems can be designed to support equity, accountability, and public interest outcomes, I’ve enjoyed using ideas, concepts, methods, and examples from cultural geography, art criticism, social anthropology, and critical management studies.

My research often involves working across disciplines and sectors. I’ve developed collaborations between academia, industry, and policy, and have worked on funded research and advisory projects with organisations such as Innovate UK, the European Commission, Backed VC, FinTech Scotland, and more.

More broadly, and looking ahead, I aim to grow the interdisciplinary field around the political economy of deep tech, expand collaborative methods for responsible innovation, and ensure science remains responsive to the societal contexts in which it is developed and deployed.