In her role as Pro Vice-Chancellor, Laura supports the delivery of the University's sustainability strategy, with a particular focus on the academic staff base, to ensure that all academic staff at the University are supported and encouraged to reach their full potential and achieve high levels of performance in teaching, research, and professional practice.
Laura joined Roehampton in 2001, having worked previously at Staffordshire University. Laura’s background is in Victorian literature and empire, and she has published widely in research which engages with diversity and diverse voices. Her books, Rereading Orphanhood: Text, Inheritance, Kin (with Diane Warren) (2020), Dickens and Race (2013), Dickens and Childhood (2012) and Orphan Texts: Victorian Orphans, Culture and Empire (2000) offer significant interventions in the field of Victorian Studies.
Prior to becoming Head of Humanities and then PVC, Laura was Head of the Department of English and Creative Writing. Laura is an experienced teacher and is committed to learning and teaching, holding a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Association (now Advance HE).