Helen is a highly regarded UK based academic, creative thinker and current Research Fellow at the University of South Wales. She also lectures on the Games Enterprise Masters programme at the University.

As well as being an experienced academic Helen also has over 10 years working in the screen sector in children’s transmedia production. She holds a PhD from Aberystwyth University in Sociolinguistics and Media Studies.

Helen’s research and creative practice sits within immersive technology and user experience, audience research, inclusion and diversity, media production and creative research methodologies. Her work often focuses on the potential of emerging and XR technologies to expand inclusion and access.

Much of Helen’s academic work is driven by her passion for bridging the gap between industry and academia, prompting industry to think more holistically about audience research and academia to embrace new technology as a means of conducting meaningful research. She is currently working with National Museum Wales on an immersive project to share underrepresented stories through XR and with internationally renowned bilingual production company Triongl on the impact of metaversal thinking for multi language production.

She has worked on several collaborative projects between industry and academia including the ground-breaking AR experience The Big Fix Up (Fictioneers and USW), and a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (Boom Cymru and Aberystwyth University) looking at young audience engagement with minority language media.

Alongside her partnership innovation, Helen is also a published International author.