Kate is an applied economist working with microdata on issues relating to productivity and performance, having obtained her PhD from Durham University in 2005. Previously, she has worked as a Lecturer in Economics at Swansea University (2009-2014), a Research Fellow at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research in London (2002-2009), where she is currently a visiting fellow, and the University of Portsmouth.
Kate has an interest in using digital and innovative teaching techniques. She has published her research in teaching and learning in the International Review of Economics Education and Innovations in Education and Teaching International as well as participating in a number of Teaching & Learning Conferences.Kate was a University Senate Representative (for the Faculty of Social Sciences) from June 2018 to June 2020 and sat on the Senate Effectiveness Review Committee during this period. Kate sits on the University Student Success Research & Evaluation Group.
From May 2016 to September 2018, Kate was Director of Graduate Studies for the School’s taught programmes (MSc including MBA). During this time, the school successfully established Postgraduate programmes at Medway, achieved AMBA reaccreditation and AACSB accreditation.
Since August 2020, Kate has been a Deputy Dean of the Division, Academic Lead for KBS at Medway and for Accreditations.
Kate is primarily an applied economist focussed mainly on firm level performance and factors which influence it, ranging from foreign direct investment to social enterprises; technological change to skills and migrant workers.
As an investigator, she has successfully tendered for several research projects; funded by a range of organisations including the Scottish Government, the ESRC, the Low Pay Commission, NESTA, the Welsh Government, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and the Enterprise Research Centre.
Kate has co-authored many reports for a wide range of government departments.
Recently, Kate has developed a research interest in the growth and behaviour of social enterprises, small firms and the role of innovation and exporting on firm performance. She works with large-scale micro datasets and has published in leading journals within her discipline, such as the Review of Economics and Statistics, the Review of Industrial Organization, Small Business Economics, Labour Economics and the Journal of Agricultural Economics.
In terms of impact, Kate has actively been involved in grant capture. To date, she has won in excess of £300,000 as a lead investigator and been involved with research projects that account for more than £2m, funded at the UK and the European level.
Kate was part of a successful ESRC application made by the WISERD research centre. A £7million grant, led by Cardiff University. Kate worked on the performance of social enterprises in Wales and the UK.
Current externally funded projects include:
View Kate’s Google Scholar data and profile
Kate has taught a range of economics and statistic modules to undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Currently she teaches on CB365 Economics for Business (micro), convenes CB795 Economics for Business (macro) and at the postgraduate level, contributes to CB9144, Global Strategic Management on the MBA.
The subjects taught cover the range of applied economics, but include environmental economics, microeconomics and macroeconomics, quantitative methods and applied statistics.
To date, Kate has supervised in the area of Applied Economics – firm-level performance and productivity, looking at the role of environmental controls, foreign direct investment and open innovation on performance.
Current Supervisees
Visiting fellow at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (since 2019)
Kate has been involved in a variety of research projects for various government departments and has acted as Project Advisor for the UKTI on Research Projects.
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