Em has a diverse background of research experience which is underpinned by quantitative methodologies and analysis. She began her research career in psychology, and has worked as a consultant for local and regional health and social care agencies, as well as for business and government organisations in the UK and Australia.

Since September 2011 she has been working in the Living with Disability Research Centre at La Trobe University and in December 2018 joined the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University.

Em has developed a strong track record of research that is generating an evidence base to facilitate the development of practices, programs and policies in order to enable participation of people with cognitive disability and promote their social inclusion, to bring about positive change for people living with disability. Her recent research projects have examined the effectiveness of supported accommodation services for people with cognitive disabilities, and in 2016, Em received funding for a project entitled ‘Dogs as catalysts for inclusion of people with intellectual disability’. This project addressed the lack of research evidence about effective and consistent support to facilitate people with intellectual disabilities having convivial encounters in community or commercial places.

At Monash she is currently working on a project that is building and testing mainstream employment pathways for people with neurological disability.

Practices, programs and policies to enable participation of people with cognitive disability

Social inclusion for people with cognitive disability

Mainstream employment pathways for people with neurological disability