Kate studied Chemical Engineering at University College Swansea, University of Wales, graduating with a BEng in 1988. She stayed at Swansea to complete her PhD in Biochemical Engineering, studying fermentation kinetics, under the supervision of the late Dr Tony Knight. In 1991, she joined Unilever Research at Port Sunlight and then Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2003. In 2007, she entered the world of higher education, initially at the University of Manchester as a consultant in both the Department of Education and the Centre for Local Governance, before joining the University of Chester in 2008