I recently completed a DPhil (PhD) in history at the University of Oxford (Pembroke College) and am currently a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow for Global Perspectives on Society (GPS) at NYU Shanghai. As a researcher, I employ transnational approaches to modern and contemporary society to explore forces of globalisation from below. Focusing on media and the politics of popular culture, I specialise in research that examines Japan’s transnational connectivity with East Asia and the wider world.
I have held several teaching and researcher posts at universities in the UK and Japan including Keio, Rikkyo, Oxford Brookes, Tama and Meiji Gakuin. During my 4 years as a lecturer at Rikkyo University’s Global Liberal Arts Program, I developed the course “Afro-Japanese Digital Visions,” as featured in Critical Asian Studies and the Times Higher Education for its innovative approaches to digital humanities and public engagement.
Originally from London, I spent 14+ years in Tokyo as a student and professional. I speak fluent Japanese (JLPT 1, 2012) and hold an advanced-level certification in Mandarin Chinese (HSK 5, 2021).
I previously served as a Researcher and Project Manager at Asia Pacific Initiative, a Tokyo-based think tank, where I led an international study and bilingual book publication on Japan's soft power in the 21st century.
Building on my professional background in international higher education management with time as a Project Officer at the British Council Tokyo, I also design and coordinate innovative academia-industry partnerships that have developed student internships and career placements.
I received a BA in Liberal Arts from International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo where my dissertation won the 2011 Friends of ICU Award (Kiyoko Cho Academic Award in Asian Studies). In 2013 I completed an MPhil in Modern Japanese Studies from the University of Oxford’s Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies (St Antony’s College).
In 2019 I came 3rd in the UK’s Top 10 Rare Rising Stars awards and in 2018 I won 3rd prize in the Sir Peter Parker Awards for Spoken Business Japanese. Most recently, my article published in the Japan Forum journal was awarded the 2022 Ian Nish Prize for the best article by an early career scholar by the British Association for Japanese Studies.
Outside of work you can find me at the piano, in the pool, or hosting a party as president of the Oxford Alumni Club of Japan.
My research has been awarded funding from the Japan Foundation, Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Tanaka Foundation, Toyota-Shi Trevelyan Trust, Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, Pembroke College, St Antony’s College and the University of Oxford’s Faculty of History.
Get in touch by email and I can send you my full CV. Alternatively, take a look at my LinkedIn profile.