About

I am an Edinburgh-based and regularly-in-London Applied Behavioural and Social Scientist, Public Health Researcher and Musician, working as an Independent Consultant from Scotland, UK, on international development collaboration and research projects across Africa, Asia and Europe/Central Asia.

I integrate the psychosocial, social, cultural, behavioural and public health content into research studies, policies, programmes, projects and plans, often from scratch using a multidisciplinary pallet of approaches. I create conceptual models, data collection and analyses methods, study designs, and theoretical underpinnings; integrate social objectives and impact analyses, behaviour change models and intervention designs, behavioural change communication strategies, theories of change, M&E indicator sets, key performance indicators, creative communications methods, and non-verbal communications strategies using visual and musical methods.

Past and Current Clients

I have worked for the International Organization for Migration (IoM) (UN Migration), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Expertise France, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and predecessor DfID, European Union (EU), Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) (a former US government aid agency), British Council, and International SOS (private humanitarian medical company). Previously I worked as a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) practitioner with Atkins Civil Engineers and Ben Cave Associates. I started my working life as a reporter for BBC Radio 3 and World Service, and a researcher at BBC Radio 4.

My work now spans a broad range of subjects. These include behavioural science, environmental psychology –human>environment relations, public health (mental health, environmental health), psychosocial factors, the social aspects of infectious diseases, cities, energy production and infrastructure, climate change resilience and adaptation, ethnicity, race, migration and multiculturalism, gender equality and social inclusion, prevention of violence against women and girls, disability, and social development. I am author of a book and various academic articles on these subjects.

Academic and Professional Qualifications

I am an Affiliate Research Fellow at the Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow. I completed a Post Doc at the World Resources Institute (Washington DC, USA). I have a DPhil (PhD) in Social and Cultural Anthropology with Sociology and Social Psychology from the University of Oxford, Masters of Public Health (MPH) University of New South Wales, Australia), a Masters in Visual Anthropology (University of Oxford), Masters in Anthropology of Europe and a BA Music and Media Studies (both University of Sussex). I am a candidate, MSc Psychology (Glasgow).

I am also a part-time musician and singer-songwriter, singing and playing the flute/piano in bands and duos from time-to-time. I sing and play Celtic folk as my heritage is Scottish, English, Irish and Welsh, among other things (Norwegian, Dutch, French and German), Nordic folk, jazz and bursts of Debussy. My work is outlined on the menus up above. If you’d like to get in touch with a view to commissioning consultancy services, please use the contact form here.

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