About
I am a PhD student at Durham Law School, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) through the Northern Bridge Consortium. I am also the Senior Tutor in Law, responsible for providing pedagogical guidance and professional development support to teaching colleagues. I have also been involved in university strategy, recruitment, and relations. In 2024, I was made AIoL in recognition of my leadership proficiency. I hold a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Master of Jurisprudence (MJur), both from Durham.
Research
My PhD research focuses upon judicial decision-making at the end-of-life in the medical context, focusing on patients who lack mental capacity but did once have it. I analyse the English 'best interests' framework through the lens of human dignity, drawing on the extensive dignity jurisprudence of the 'presumed will' in the German legal system. This contrasts markedly with the more nascent dignity jurisprudence in England and Wales.
Through this lens, I interrogate the role and impact of the protection of human dignity within the end-of-life context. Specifically, I consider how human dignity might provide the basis for consistent, patient-centric decision-making. I am very fortunate to be supervised by Dr Sam Halliday and Prof Emma Cave, who also kindly supervised my MJur.
Teaching
I am currently teaching on the third-year LLB Law and Medicine module, which is the largest optional module offered in the Law School. I have additional experience of teaching on other LLB modules as well as on the taught master's LLM degree. I employ research and EDI-led practices in my teaching; I am consistently ranked among the best of all teaching staff in the department, and I am highly regarded by students. In 2023, I was made AFHEA in recognition of my teaching excellence. Aside from this, I have twice acted as a co-convenor of the Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences (CELLS), in the 2021-22 and 2023-24 academic years.