My academic work has focused on cosplay, community, and identity, exploring how people use creative practice to express belonging and negotiate social roles. In my undergraduate dissertation, I carried out qualitative research with cosplayers, including a focus group with participants in costume, to examine motivations such as community, acceptance, creativity, and dedication. I was particularly interested in how cosplay communities form informal hierarchies and how participation can mirror wider social structures, including ideas of ritual, performance, and subcultural capital.

During my postgraduate research, I developed these themes further by examining issues of representation, gatekeeping, and access within fan and subcultural spaces. Drawing on sociological theory, I explored how boundaries are created and maintained within communities, who gets to belong, and whose identities are legitimised or excluded. This work strengthened my interest in inclusive cultural spaces and how creativity, fandom, and participation can both empower individuals and reproduce inequality, depending on how communities are structured and governed.

My academic research, both postgraduate and undergraduate, focused on cosplay culture, masculinities, social gatekeeping, and identity. Using interviews, I used thematic analysis and conversation analysis to build findings within sociological theories, particularly the work of Erving Goffman, Pierre Bourdieu, and Paul Hodkinson. Independently, I managed the research process, from ethics approval to data analysis and presentation, and defended my project successfully in a viva chaired by Dr Rebecca Williams of The University of South Wales, an expert in media audiences.

This experience shows my ability to handle sensitive data under GDPR, produce rigorous analysis, and effectively communicate results. At the undergraduate level, I investigated community, identity, and creativity in cosplay through focus groups, again applying thematic and conversation analysis to transcribed data. These projects required me to balance multiple deadlines due to the course models and dissertation deadlines, design research materials, and present findings.

Alongside the theoretical side of my research, I developed strong practical research skills through the use of digital tools. I used NVivo to organise, code, and analyse qualitative data from interviews and focus groups, and used Excel and other Microsoft packages to manage datasets and write reports

I delved into the cosplay subculture through qualitative research, examining how it interacts with notions of masculinity and the perpetuation of stereotypes associated with nerds. 

An investigation into identity, belonging, and community found strong parallels between cosplay culture and religious/social structures, explored concepts of sub-cultural capital, hierarchy, and creativity, and analysed themes of craftsmanship, acceptance, and self-expression using conversation analysis and thematic analysis