I have obtained a BA in International Studies and Government at Colby College in Maine, USA, an MA in International Politics at American University in Washington, DC and a PhD in Political Science at University College London. I am currently a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway University of London, Postgraduate Research Student lead, and co-director of the Global Politics and Development Centre. My research interests include questions of 'development', primarily related to food security and development aid. Specifically, one strand of my research examines the effectiveness of public and private food and nutrition security interventions. The other strand studies the securitisation and nationalisation trends within Western donors' development assistance and the broader implications of these trends.