Since joining Cambridge Assessment in 2005, I have worked on a wide range of projects, including research on progression routes, quality of marking and comparability of standards in high stakes examinations. I have also looked at subject choice (at AS/A level and in Higher Education), gender differences, the relationship between emotional intelligence and academic performance and the effects of modularity, maturity, multiple entry and re-sits on examination outcomes.
Much of my work involves the use educational databases such as the Inter-Awarding Body Statistics, the National Pupil Database and the HESA Student Records. I have expertise in the analysis and modelling of data using traditional and innovative statistical techniques and I am skilled in statistical programming in a number of languages including SAS and R. I have presented the outcomes of my work at national and international conferences and published in education and assessment journals.
My current areas of interest include designing and conducting impact studies in education, subject provision and uptake in schools and colleges, standards monitoring, and the validity of our assessments as predictors of university and career success both in the UK and internationally.
I hold a BSc in Mathematics and an MSc in Statistics from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and a PhD in Statistics from the University of Aberdeen. I conducted two years of my doctoral research on disease map modelling and surveillance of diseases at the University of South Carolina.
Outside of work I enjoy reading, swimming and spending time at home or travelling with my husband and two children.