I am a mixed-methods researcher with a background in Music Psychology. I joined Cambridge University Press and Assessment in January 2025, where I conduct research in the Qualifications and Assessment strand. I am currently working on research projects related to the future of learning and predictors of success in vocational qualifications.
Prior to joining Cambridge University Press and Assessment, I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Durham University on a project investigating digital skills needed by music researchers to help them work with web data.
I hold a BA(Hons) in Music from the University of Malta, a MMus in Creative Sound and Media Technology from Bath Spa University, and a PhD in Music Psychology from Durham University. My PhD research focused on how musical features contribute to shaping different emotions in music. To investigate this, I created a computer interface called Emote Control which allows individuals to change seven features of music as it plays in real-time. This helped explore how both musicians and nonmusicians think different emotions sound in music.
Apart from being a researcher, I have worked in the TV and Media Industry in Malta for over ten years. I am also passionate about teaching, and I am an Associate Fellow of the Higher Academy (AFHEA) and a certified Carpentries instructor. I have experience teaching piano performance and music theory to children and adults, and Music Psychology to students in tertiary education. I currently teach two Music Psychology courses within the Faculty of Music at the University of Cambridge.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading thrillers, playing the piano, doing sudoku, and going for walks.