Dr Kate Smith

Kate's research interests include the social and cultural understanding of watery hazards, climate and risk communication, which she investigates using participatory methodologies, thematic analysis and evaluation research.

Her work within the Energy and Environment Institute has included nationally significant research on using mobile technologies for flood warnings, on using social value as a way of evaluating flood resilience innovation, and on understanding the impact of large-scale public art interventions on people’s engagement with action for climate empowerment. She is a Co-Investigator within the Coast-R Network, leading on evaluation and monitoring for this and for the National Lottery Climate Action Fund project 'Our Future Starts Here'.

Kate gained her PhD at the former National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, within the School of English at the University of Sheffield. She has taught at Sheffield and the Open Universities, as well as at Hull York Medical School and within the Faculties of Science and Arts, Culture and Education at the University of Hull.

She is also Participation Officer for the Folklore Society, has been a judge for the Katherine Briggs book prize, and co-wrote the Society's ethics position statement.