Helen was born and grew up in Hull. After being subjected to many a family holiday visiting local antiquities, monasteries and castles, she studied archaeology at the University of York.

She worked on projects in York and Hull before joining the University of Hull in 1994 as part of the Humber Wetlands Project Team. She completed her Part-time PhD in 2007 focusing on settlement development in the Lincolnshire Marsh, an offshoot of the Humber Wetlands Project. Helen joined the Department of History in 2004 as a lecturer in Archaeology, and she was the School Academic Manager for Histories, Languages and Cultures between 2016-2019. She returned to her role as Senior Lecturer in Archaeology in 2019. From August 2021 is has taken on the role of Associate Dean for Education within the Faculty of Arts, Cultures and Education.

Her current research concentrates on the study of ancient and medieval landscapes. She is currently Membership Secretary for the Medieval Settlement Research Group and is working on ensuring the accessibility of the Medieval Village Research Group Archive.

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