I was born in Middlesbrough in the north east of England. I studied for my undergraduate degree at the University of Birmingham, where I received First Class Honours in Political Science. Thereafter, I moved to the London School of Economics, where I received a Masters (with Distinction) in Government (funded by an ESRC Master's studentship). I remained at the LSE to write my PhD in Government under the supervision of Professor Rodney Barker (funded by an ESRC PhD studentship).

I joined Royal Holloway as a Lecturer in January 2001, was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2004, and to Professor of Political Science in 2008. I was a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, 2003-2004.

I was Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway (for the standard three-year term) from July 2006 to July 2009 and led the expansion of the Department, which saw it more than double in size during those three years. I founded the New Political Communication Unit in 2007.

In recent times I have made several national and local broadcast media appearances, including on BBC Radio Four's Thinking Allowed, The Moral Maze, and The World at One, as well as Sky News. I have been interviewed for articles in the national press, including The Independent, the Daily Telegraph, and the New Scientist, among others.

I am a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (the RSA).