As Professor of Public Policy I undertake research in the areas of public sector reform, policy analysis, multi-level governance, crisis management and health security governance. I joined UWS in September 2013 having previously worked as a Policy and Evaluation Adviser for NHS Health Scotland.  My PhD research concerned the politics of animal health security governance and I currently undertake research into the policy relationships between public health and animal heallth security governance.  My consultancy activities tend to be grouped around evaluation design and capacity building in the public sector. My other major research area relates to public sector reform and multi-level governance. I have recently undertaken consultancy projects with Education Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and NHS Health Scotland that all relate to service redesign, planning and evaluation. I'm currently writing a book for Palgrave Macmillan with Dr Arno van der Zwet (also based at UWS) entitled Public Value Management, Reform and Governance in Britain. I'm also a co-investigator on a prestigious ESRC research project that concerns the impact of Brext on UK fisheries policy. In addition, I'm working with Dr Andrew Judge (University of Glasgow) on a Carnegie-funded project that examines the impact of Brexit on UK security governance for health and energy policy. I'm also writing a number of articles and book chapters  - examples include the The Handbook of Scottish Politics (Oxford University Press) and writing for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics.

I am an Associate Editor of the 'Contemporary Social Science' journal (the flagship journal of the Academy of Social Sciences, published by Taylor and Francis) and co-convenor of the Publuic Policy and Administration specialist group of the UK Political Studies Association. In 2018 I also served as interim Assistant Dean for Research & Enterprise in the School of Media, Culture and Society at UWS.

My current research activities include:

* The impact of Brexit on UK Fisheries Policy (ESRC-funded project with colleagues at the University of Aberdeen)

* The impact of Brexit on UK crisis management processes and practices (Carnegie Scotland project)

* Public sector reform in Britain (I am co-editing a book with Dr Arno van der Zwet for Palgrave Macmillan on 'Public Value Management, Governance and Reform in Britain' (due for publication in 2019).

* The perspectives of service managers/planners regarding how co-creation is understood, implemented and sustained as part of improvement programme delivery within the health and social care context in Scotland.

* The impact of outcome frameworks in Scotland in terms of sustaining change (in collaboration with NHS Health Scotland).

* The role of public administration education as a mechanism for civil society development.

* Examining 'One Health' as a model of health security governance and the role of global institutions in taking this forward.

To work further on health security governance in the context of globalisation and modern crisis management.

To continue to understand the ways to evaluate the impact of public sector reform in light of the 'outcomes era'.

To work with international partners on research focused on how public administration education can aid civil society and administrative reform.

My key interests are to continue to work with public and third sector bodies (please see above)

Scottish Government

NHS Boards

Local authorities

Evaluation design, 'train the trainer' expertise in programme planning and evaluation, public policy analysis, research management, and facilitation.