Biography
Dr Kate (Katya) Sullivan is currently an Assistant Professor of Strategy and Enterprise at Heriot-Watt University. A Chartered Psychologist (accredited by the British Psychological Society), she is a Fellow of Advance HE and founding member of the editorial board of the Journal of Motorsport Culture & History.
Kate is currently the Year 1 Coordinator for Undergraduate Management and the co-lead for the communications working group (external-facing) of the Athena SWAN committee for the School of Social Sciences. She teaches on undergraduate, postgraduate, and graduate apprenticeship courses, with a focus on making theory accessible, relevant, and applicable to modern contexts.
She serves on the steering committee of the British Academy of Management's Identity special interest group (SIG).
In addition to her PhD in psychology, Kate holds an MSc (Dist) in business psychology and a BA (hons) in anthropology with concentrations in archaeology, the classics, and theatre.
Kate's industry experience includes over 12 years in the public, private, and third sectors, centreing around media and publishing, start-ups and scale-ups, and consumer psychology.
Research Interests
A highly interdisciplinary, eclectic scholar, Kate's research focuses on the intersections of work and leisure, the subjective construction of value, and the dynamics of motivation in creative and entrepreneurial contexts.
Her interdisciplinary expertise spans applied psychology, history, behavioural economics, media studies, and anthropology, with current projects exploring gamification, innovative pedagogies, immersive learning experiences, and applied performance strategies for the neurodiverse.
Kate's work dynamically bridges theory and practice, emphasising the practical applications of business history, critical heritage studies, and psychology to address contemporary challenges.