I studied medieval and modern history at the University of Birmingham, which is where I developed an abiding interest in medieval social history. My particular research interest in medieval women led me to the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York, where I obtained an MA and a DPhil in Medieval Studies. I was appointed Lecturer in Medieval History at Edinburgh, then promoted to Senior Lecturer and now Professor of Women's and Gender History. I was the founding director of the cross-College Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. I am currently PI on an AHRC-funded project, 'Alice Thornton's Books: Remembrances of a Woman's Life in the Seventeenth Century'.