Helen’s main research interests are in sociolinguistics, more specifically sociophonetics, exploring the relationship between social factors, such as age, gender, social status, and identity on language/accent. She is currently investigating the accent and identity of Chester as part of the Talking Chester/Cestrian English Project with Dr Jo Close, as Chester’s unique location as a nexus between Liverpool, Manchester and Welsh English varieties provides an ideal opportunity to examine the processes of language variation and change. She is also investigating Taylor Swift’s accent changes between her country and pop style music, to explore the relationship between accent, social/stylistic categories and social-psychological processes.