Katherine obtained her PhD entitled Control of Replication of HIV-1, from the University of Queensland (UQ) in 1999. She has completed postdoctoral research including promoter studies of ion channels in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, UQ; trafficking of iron-related proteins in haemochromatosis at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research; and the detection, culture, characterisation and epidemiology of respiratory viruses at the Sir Albert Sakzewski Virus Research Centre. She remains affiliated with the University of Queensland as a virologist. Since leaving the bench, Katherine is establishing herself as a freelance science editor.