Biography
Kate is an Education Focused (EF) Lecturer and Deputy First Year Director in the School of Physics at UNSW Sydney, and is a member of the Physics Education Research for Evidence Centred (PERfECT) group in the School.
She completed her PhD in theoretical astrophysics at Monash University (Melbourne) and has experience teaching large cohorts in astrophysics, physics, and biophysics. She has also worked in education design, particularly in online...view more
Kate is an Education Focused (EF) Lecturer and Deputy First Year Director in the School of Physics at UNSW Sydney, and is a member of the Physics Education Research for Evidence Centred (PERfECT) group in the School.
She completed her PhD in theoretical astrophysics at Monash University (Melbourne) and has experience teaching large cohorts in astrophysics, physics, and biophysics. She has also worked in education design, particularly in online learning environments, and is passionate about implementing active learning in the classroom.
Kate is currently redesigning the content and assessment for the large, online, introductory astronomy course in the School, and leads the development and creation of a new first-year astrophysics course that is aimed at students considering minoring in astronomy. She is also developing and running an evidence-based learning assistant training program in the School of Physics, which aims to develop the pedagogical knowledge and teaching skills of undergraduate teaching assistants.
Kate is also an active member in the UNSW EF community; she co-leads the Sessional Academic Community of Practice, is a peer facilitator for the UNSW Portfolio of the PVCESE's Course Design Institute, and is a peer mentor for the Teaching Accelerator Program.
My Grants
Kate, along with her colleagues Associate Professor Elizabeth Angstmann and Dr Christine Lindstrom were awarded a grant to develop and collate physics resources for the Australian Council of Deans of Science (ACDS) online resource repository.
My Qualifications
Doctor of Philosophy (Astrophysics), 2019, Monash University, Melbourne VIC
Bachelor of Applied Physics (Diploma of Professional Practice), 2013, CQUniversity Australia, Rockhampton QLD
My Teaching
Kate, being the Deputy First Year Director, helps oversee the first year courses in the School of Physics. She also oversees the running and development of the astronomy courses, both first year and upper years.