My research focuses on issues relating to language and identities within multilingual contexts as a result of increased global migration. My research raises questions around the reproduction of social inequalities through institutional structures that close down opportunities for migrant communities. I draw on linguistic ethnography to investigate these issues, and I work collaboratively on interdisciplinary research teams that have sought my expertise. These projects have been funded by: Social Sciences and Humanities Council (Canada); World Universities Network Grant; Economic and Social Sciences Research Council (UK); Arts Council, Nesta & AHRC (RCUK).

Increasingly my work has become the focus for conference panels – for example my original work in theorizing multilingual researcher identities working in multilingual contexts has been the focus of a recent panel (The dynamics of researcher positionality in multilingual settings: Potentials & challenges) at a leading international conference (2014 Sociolinguistic Symposium 20). I have organized panels around this theme, a special journal issue & publications in edited books. I am sought after to participate in conference panels, publish in handbooks & special issues. In 2008, I was an invited plenary speaker at a conference in Spain on Multilingualism, and more recently at the International Symposium on Literacies and Discourse Studies (November, 2014 Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogota Colombia).

As Deputy Director of the Centre for Globalisation, Education and Social Futures, I drive research with national/international experts in the field of globalization and language. I am sought after as a research collaborator for international scholars who I support & invite as visitors to the centre. I have also been a visiting scholar at Penn State, OISE/University of Toronto and I am called upon to offer consultation on research projects & expert commentary on migration & multilingualism in schools. I regularly review for a number of journals, lead seminars as well as review applications & projects for national & international research councils. From 2008-2014 as an elected committee member of Linguistic Ethnography Forum, I led in driving the intellectual advancement of linguistic ethnography in the UK & internationally by supporting colleagues in running seminars, conferences and reviewing papers for a high profile conferences (e.g. British Association of Applied Linguistics).