Cat is an ESRC-funded doctoral researcher at the University of Warwick. Her research focuses on preparing teachers to facilitate effective parental engagement. In 2022, she was awarded 1st prize in the Early Career Researcher category at the British Education Research Association conference. She is a former Parliamentary Research Fellow, DfE Policy Fellow, and Vice-President (Access and Academic Affairs) at the Oxford University Student Union. She is also an experienced primary school teacher and serves as Vice-Chair of governors at a primary school in the North West. She holds Masters degrees in Social Science Research and Educational Leadership – both from the University of Warwick – and a Bachelors degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford.