I lead Research and Thought Leadership in the Digital High Stakes team in Cambridge University Press & Assessment. My particular research interests are in digital assessment with an emphasis on validity. I currently carry out and apply research to support assessment practitioners developing and quality assuring digital assessments. I am passionate about applying research to influence decision making and policy and am building expertise in providing timely and relevant research evidence to practitioners in agile working environments.
I started my research career in Cambridge Assessment nearly 30 years ago and my early work addressed the question 'What makes exam questions difficult' for which I used my background in Psychology. Whilst training examiners about how learners think I realised that it was time to really find out for myself, so I gained a PGCE from the Institute of Education in London then taught in primary schools. I was drawn back to the world of research and re-joined Cambridge as an assessment developer. At the same time, I studied for a Master's in Education at Cambridge University. I left again - to travel the world this time - then researched for Edexcel Pearson and for government agencies before returning, for the third time, to Cambridge Assessment.