Kathleen's (Kate) doctoral research examined the intersection of tourism and education in Zimbabwe. In particular, her research explored the phenomenon of philanthropic tourism in Matabeleland North using a Foucauldian lens. From 2019, she has also added the nature of Contract research in Higher Education to her research interests. You can follow Kathleen on Twitter (@thekatsmithers).

Prior to her appointment at CSU, Kathleen worked at the University of Newcastle (UoN) as a Research Officer and Sessional Academic. In her time at UoN, Kathleen was appointed as co-coordinator of the Students and Staff Talking about Research program. As part of this program, she is responsible for HDR events, research training and the annual HDR conference for the School of Education.