Jane Clossick "teaching and learning"

I thoroughly enjoyed my school years at Tallis (1993-2000); they were varied, exciting, creative and full of teenage angst. I painted walls, played in plays and bands and recitals. It was great, and I met some of the best friends I have ever (or will ever) have, who have all gone on to achieve the most exciting and impressive array of things.

I like education so much I have turned it into my existence and my livelihood. I started my many years at university with an Art Foundation course in Kent. Then I trained as an architect between 2001-2009 at Sheffield University and the University of East London, working in London and Manchester for architects’ practices in between. Then, not satisfied with having spent only 21 of my 27 years in education, I started a PhD at London Metropolitan University in 2009.

I am presently engaged in a research project about high streets, and I am doing a case study of the A10. Day-to-day, this involves lots of going out and talking to people, recording what they say and trying to make sense of it, to reveal what they really think about their high street. Then I try to cross-reference the themes they talk about with the physical shape of the city. 

But life and living costs money . . . and that I make by working freelance as an architect with my husband, Colin O’Sullivan, and teaching as well as learning at the university. In the long term, I want to be an academic, teaching and researching in a department of architecture, although I might also carry on being a proper architect. I usually just see where life takes me next.

If you want to find out more about me, I occasionally maintain a blog about architecture and urbanism at http://urban-order.blogspot.com/, and I have an academic website here http://londonmet.academia.edu/JaneClossick.