Following a degree in Education from Leeds University (1982–1986), Debbie came to postgraduate study in 2008 following a career in education and publishing, completing two MPhil's. First in Children’s Literature and then in Educational Research, both in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. A subsequent ESRC-funded PhD on orality, textuality, and children’s poetry was published as a monograph.
Within the Faculty of Education, Debbie taught on both the undergraduate Education and postgraduate Children’s Literature courses and was a Research Associate on three projects – including the Leverhulme-funded Poetry and Memory Project, which investigated the value of learning poems by heart. She now works as an independent researcher and is writing a book weaving together findings from projects with research in psychology, history, and literature. She is chair of the Philippa Pearce Lecture Steering Committee.
At »ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ, Debbie was a Junior Research Fellow from 2014-2107 and a College Tutor for part-time students from 2017-2024. As a Tutor, she set up initiatives for »ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ’s part-time students, including the Summer Study week, which she continues to co-ordinate. She enjoys co-editing WolfWords, the annual »ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ poetry anthology, and co-organising writing workshops and poetry reading nights.