I work in the fields of language education, intercultural communication, and intercultural education, aiming to construct theoretical and pedagogical synergies across these areas. I am particularly interested in the theory and practice of intercultural learning within educational contexts such as language education, intercultural training programmes, and internationalisation efforts within higher education. My work on language education has mainly focused on the potential of pragmatics to contribute to intercultural learning. I have also sought to explore how students can be encouraged to critically engage with cultural representations as part of the language learning process. My research on the internationalisation of higher education has looked at the implications of how academic staff conceptualise 'participation' for teaching and learning in internationalised classroom environments. Recently, I have extended this work to focus on pedagogical rationales and practices within the context of internationalisation of the curriculum across the disciplines. I am currently also carrying out research on the potential for intercultural learning within Japanese language education and the intercultural development of Japanese language learners who study abroad in Japan.

After completing a BA in Japanese language at Griffith University in Australia in 2001, I spent the next 14 years teaching English language, academic skills, and intercultural communication at various language schools, technical colleges, and some of Japan's best universities. I completed my MA and PhD whilst I was in Japan. I joined the Centre for Applied Linguistics at Warwick in September 2015. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and the Warwick International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA). I am also Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Intercultural Communication Education (ISSN 2209-1041), and currently serve on the Editorial Board of ELT Journal (Oxford Uni Press).