Kathryn is Professor of Higher Education in the Centre for Academic Development (CAD) and has two broad areas of research interest: academic working lives, and the theory and practice of 'academic development' in higher education. She also conducts research on trust and on student-staff partnerships to improve learning and teaching. She has received several awards for both her research and teaching, including the Tertiary Education Research in New Zealand Research Medal, the Distinguished Contribution to the Scholarship of Academic Development Award from the International Consortium for Educational Development (ICED), two university teaching awards, and several article of the year awards. Kathryn is also a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) (one of only 16 Principal Fellows in NZ).

Kathryn coordinates three key professional development programmes for the university:

• the Victoria Early Career Academic Programme (VECAP), designed to support early career academics to establish their academic careers, build supportive peer and mentoring networks, and develop their teaching and research.
• Te Arawai Ako: Pathway to Learning and Teaching Fellowship, the Advance HE-accredited fellowship programme that enables teaching and learning support staff to receive recognition for meeting professional teaching standards; and 
• the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Learning and Teaching (PHELT), a Masters-level qualification in teaching and learning aimed at university teachers, tutors and supporters of learning
  
  Kathryn was co-founder of (and occasionally still teaches on) the Ako in Action programme, partnering students and academics to work together on teaching development and design.