I am Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Lancaster University,  where I am also Director of the Richardson Institute, the UK’s oldest peace and conflict research centre.I was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, crossing the Pennines to join Lancaster in the summer of 2012.

Since then, I have been working on a range of themes related to sovereignty, sectarianism and instability across the Middle East, with a particular focus on the impact of the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran on the contemporary Middle East.

I have published a range of books, articles and Op Eds that try and understand political life and religion across the region.

I am currently working on a Carnegie Corporation funded project looking at the impact of the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran on sectarianism and politics across the Middle East.