My research focuses on the social and cultural aspects of consumption. I am particularly interested in youth culture and influencer/ celebrity culture. My research has looked at youth alcohol consumption, the production and consumption of celebrities and celebrity brands, the popularity and appeal of YouTube celebrities, consumers' parasocial relationships with social media influencers, and the fan communities that surround social media stars.
My research has appeared in international peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Consumer Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Marketing Theory and Journal of Marketing Management.
I am interested in supervising PhD students in the broad area of Consumer Culture Theory (CCT), and in particular topics related to Celebrity Culture and Influencer Marketing.
Winner of the 'Early Career Teacher of the Year Award 2017' at the Lancaster University Management School's Dean Awards. Nominated for the Pilkington Teaching Award in 2018.
Current teaching includes:
Undergraduate Teaching
MKTG232 Advertising (Module Leader)
Postgraduate Teaching
MKTG505 Marketing Communications (Module Leader)
I was the Programme Director for the MSc Marketing for 3 years from September 2018 to August 2021.
Anuja Pradhan (2020) "‘Strategies from below’: Middle-class British Indian consumers’ navigations of ethnic identification and intergenerational cultural transmission."
Virginia Mwangi (2018) "Social representations of marketplace immorality: The case of the Kenyan illicit alcohol market."