Mat is currently working alongside fellow colleague, Nick Swarbrick on two projects. One on the sentient landscape (exploring the work of Alan Garner), and one on fatherhood in picturebooks.
He is interested in taking his research further with regards to supporting families at home with Reading for Pleasure and exploring the importance of access to high-quality texts to help improve motivation and engagement for both parents/carers and their children.
Mat is also interested the representation of diversity in children's literature and has focused on the the role of vernacular architecture in books published in the UK and their depiction of homes throughout the world