Academic

A Senior Fellow of Advance HE since 2017, X is an independent scholar, artist, lecturer and tutor with extensive experience teaching in UK Higher Education since 2008. Her teaching has spanned Music and popular music, creative practice, critical inquiry and research, across both undergraduate and postgraduate education.

Her teaching is informed by an interdisciplinary artistic and research practice spanning music, moving image, photography and writing. Her work explores the relationship between creative practice, critical inquiry and research, with particular interests in songwriting, embodied experience, desire, sensuality and intuitive approaches to artistic practice.

She was awarded her practice-based PhD in Music from the University of X in 2025. Her doctoral committee were: Dr Caroline Kennedy, Goldsmith’s, University of London (External Examiner); Dr John Williamson, University of Glasgow (Internal Examiner), and Prof. David McGuiness, University of Glasgow (Convener). She passed with minor corrections.

Music Teaching & Supervision

X has lectured in undergraduate Music at UHI, teaching research modules and supervising Creative Honours Projects in popular music and the music industries. Her teaching has included research methods, critical analysis and academic writing, alongside supervision of practice-based projects combining creative production with written research.

As a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of X (2020–24), she taught and assessed Aesthetics and Philosophy of Music, Listening in Culture, Listening Through Analysis (Musicology) and the interdisciplinary college-wide module Genders, while also contributing to curriculum decolonisation. She has additionally undertaken guest teaching on the MSc in Popular Music Industries.

Her Music teaching and supervision has included undergraduate and Master's dissertations and research projects combining practical work with written research, alongside research papers focused on popular music. Her approach emphasises the relationship between creative practice, critical reflection and contextual research.

Practice-Based Research

X's practice-based PhD, [PhD Title], explored the politics of being heard through songwriting, self-production and spontaneous creative practice. Bringing together songwriting, autotheory and wild research, the project investigated desire, excess, audience and the processes through which original songs are performed, captured, produced and released.

Her current research interests include songwriting and popular music; mixed-methods practice-based research; intuitive and interdisciplinary artistic practice; autotheory and wild research; experimental vocal and performance practices; and creative and critical approaches to research.

X has presented research and creative work internationally, including music video, audiovisual practice and autotheoretical work. In 2022, she co-organised the hybrid conference Autotheory: Thinking Through Self, Body & Practice at the University of X and The Tramway. Her forthcoming paper, [Title], is an audiovisual contribution to the special issue on X in the Journal of X, published by Taylor & Francis in November 2026.

She has received funding for recording residencies, record production, touring, masterclasses and international presentations and screenings. Her practice extends beyond the academy through live performance and collaborations with filmmakers, musicians and other artists.

Creative & Critical Inquiry

Alongside Music, X has taught creative and critical inquiry across undergraduate and postgraduate education since 2008, primarily within Arts Higher Education. Her experience includes X, London (2024–26), The X (2021–22) and The XX (2014–18), where she lectured in English for Academic Purposes and, from 2015–16, taught and co-designed a holistic, interdisciplinary Creative Writing curriculum.

Her own academic and creative trajectory — from Fine Art Painting at BA level, through an MA in Creative Writing to a practice-based PhD in Music — informs an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research. She works across creative practice, critical inquiry and research, helping students articulate and contextualise their creative work, engage critically with ideas and sources, and develop sustained written and reflective responses to practice.

In her most recent role at X, she taught daily online sessions to international postgraduate students preparing for entry to Art and Design programmes. Her responsibilities included group projects, one-to-one tutorials, critical analysis consultations, webinars and Q&A sessions with external speakers. She also acted as a first point of contact for staff communications and day-to-day issues, and provided mentoring and daily drop-in support for colleagues. She developed and refined teaching materials and led online sessions for cohorts of up to 150 students.

Her teaching expertise includes embodied, autotheoretical and 'wild' research methods; critical analysis; arts writing; working with images; and reflective approaches to creative practice.

Selected Conferences & Funding

Conferences & research events

[Conference / presentation]
Autotheory: Thinking Through Self, Body & Practice, University of Glasgow / The Tramway, 2022 — co-organiser

Funding, residencies & practice

[Funder] — [project / award]
[Funder] — [recording / production / residency]
[Funder] — [touring / presentation]
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Academic & Creative Collaboration

X is an independent scholar, artist, lecturer and tutor available for talks, guest lectures, workshops, residencies and creative or research collaborations across Music, popular music, songwriting, creative practice and research methods.

Her practice-based research is particularly relevant to postgraduate and doctoral projects engaging with songwriting, popular music, performance, improvisation, experimental vocal practice, self-production and interdisciplinary creative practice. Her longer-term academic interests include contributing to the supervision of practice-based and Music doctorates, particularly projects that bring together creative production, critical inquiry and written research.

Her experience across Music teaching, creative and critical inquiry, and practice-based research enables her to support projects that move between creative production, research, critical reflection and written work. She is particularly interested in developing a sustained teaching, supervision and research profile within Music and practice-based education, with a focus on songwriting, popular music and interdisciplinary artistic practice.

Research Registry & Thesis

ORCID: orcid.org/https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2500-604X

PhD thesis & portfolio of works: Read ‘She Grows Louder’ via Enlighten the University of Glasgow’s publication database and open-access repository.