Holly graduated with a BA (Hons) in Hispanic Studies from the University of Birmingham in 2011. Upon graduating, she was awarded the Sir Henry Thomas Junior Research Fellowship for postgraduate study and then progressed to doctoral study in 2012 under AHRC scholarship. She was awarded her PhD in 2015 for research into writing by female political prisoners during Spain’s Francoist dictatorship.
During her doctoral studies, Holly developed a keen interest in teaching and learning in Higher Education, working as academic writing tutor and postgraduate teaching assistant. After completing her PhD, she began work as a Teaching Fellow, spending part of her time within the Department for Modern Languages teaching languages and cultures and her remaining time within BCRRE focusing on academic writing and international programmes. She was Deputy Director of Undergraduate Studies for Modern Languages in 2016-2017 and Director of Undergraduate Studies for Modern Languages during the academic year 2017-2018 leading the establishment of a new curriculum fit for the challenges of 21st-century university study.
In 2018 she moved to BCRRE full time as Lecturer in Railway Systems Education and took on the position of Deputy Director of Education, and then later Director of Education. She sits on the BCRRE Senior Leaders Team and is responsible for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity. Holly manages internal, external, and international programmes in Railway Systems and leads the BCRRE teaching group. She is also involved within the University’s Beacon scheme for Higher Education Academy fellowship, for which she is a mentor and assessor.