Following undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Lancaster and Nottingham universities, I came to Portsmouth in 2004, when I joined as Lecturer in Media Studies. In January 2007, I became Principal Lecturer in Media Studies and was Subject Leader for the BA (Hons) Media Studies and combined honours degree programmes until 2011. That year, I was made Reader in Popular Media Cultures. I'm a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Royal Society of Arts. In September 2019, I became Professor of Media Cultures.

My PhD, from the University of Nottingham, focussed on Star Trek fans and American culture and my research interests have rested mainly in the areas of science fiction, popular culture, American film and television and fandom. As I have continued to publish on fans and fan practices my research has turned to examine more closely the cultural and creative links between audiences and the media entertainment industries; particularly the affective and nostalgic relationships fans create when collecting media merchandise and children’s toys from their past.

My research integrates rigorous academic analysis with strong cultural insights. I place fandom, nostalgia, genre and paratexts within broader media and cultural contexts—uncovering how audiences, industries, and texts cocreate meaning. Whether through Star Trek, Pokémon, or Hollywood blockbusters, my work bridges scholarly and public discourse, influencing film, media, and fan studies alike.

Major publications include three monographs Living with Star Trek: American Culture and the Star Trek Universe (IB Tauris, 2007), American Science Fiction Film and Television (Berg, 2009) and Cult Collectors: Nostalgia, Fandom and Collecting Popular Culture (Routledge, 2014). I was editor for the multi-volume Directory of World Cinema: American Hollywood from Intellect Books (2011 & 2015), and my last collection, Popular Media Cultures: Fans, Audiences and Paratexts, was published by Palgrave in 2015. I am Section Board Member for Humanities, the online open access journal from MDPI, and series editor for "Palgrave Fan Studies." I am currently editorial advisor for The Journal of Popular Culture, Transformative Works and Culture, Journal of Fandom Studies and Journal of Popular Television. My next edited collection, Material Cultures and Collecting Practices across Global Fandom, is forthcoming from Palgrave.

I have supervised a number of PhD students who have completed projects on a range of topics including transmedia crime series, Wuxia fan fiction, the Knights Templar in popular culture, Channel 4's youth audiences, and zombie movies. I am currently supervising students working on lesbian fan fiction, Harry Potter screen tourism and fantasy world-building. I welcome future PhD students with proposals on any topic related to fandom, collecting and tourist practices, media franchises and genre.