Laura is a social and cultural historian of modern Britain, with a particular interest in the histories of young people and youth culture; family history; public & community history; and histories of women, gender & sexuality. She currently works at the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) as an Associate Professor in Modern History. 

Shortly after finishing her PhD at the University of Leeds in 2015, Laura received the Fulbright-Robertson Scholar Award, and spent the 2015-16 academic year at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. During this year, Laura started work on her first book and taught a range of classes on British social history. The considerable independence of course design and curriculum development afforded by the US Liberal Arts system continues to have an impact on Laura’s pedagogy, and she has a particular interest in creative practice and its application in the Higher Education classroom. 

During her time in the US, Laura took every opportunity to travel around the Midwest – visiting neighbouring states including Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma and Arkansas, as well as trips to the west and east coast. Laura’s Fulbright award was a truly transformative experience which continues to have an impact on both her academic and personal life.