I did my PhD at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, with James Liu and Ronald Fischer. My PhD investigated the structure and content of Hindu nationalism and its social psychological consequences upon intergroup dynamics in India. My general research interests lie in the intersection of social, political and cultural psychology with a particular focus upon intergroup relations. My research combines both qualitative and quantitative methods.

I am currently working with Stephen Reicher and Nicholas Hopkins (University of Dundee), and a team of researchers based in both the UK and India, investigating the psychological experience of participation in a large-scale collective event - the Magh Mela at Allahabad, India. The Mela is the largest religious festival in the world and has a history spanning centuries with millions of pilgrims participating each year.

The research project focuses on pilgrims who visit the Mela for its full period and aims to develop an understanding of the role of social identification in collective processes. It explores the transformations in social relations found in the Mela and how these transformations impact upon people's perceptions and experiences of respect, trust, cooperation and helping. The project also considers how this experience of collective events results in longer term consequences. These include the strengthening of people's commitment to certain identities and benefits for their individual well-being.