Catherine joined Loughborough University in 2007, straight after her PhD at Aberystwyth University, which focused on the playwright Martin McDonagh. She is programme leader for MA Theatre. 
Catherine's main research activity is in the field of contemporary British and Irish Theatre. She has published widely on the plays and films of Martin McDonagh, and also on the work of Harold Pinter and Sarah Kane. Her main research interest is in theatre and gender, nationalism, political theatre, and applied theatre. She is the author of three monographs - on theatre and adaptation, the plays of Harold Pinter, and contemporary British Drama - and is currently preparing a fourth monograph on the topic of Martin McDonagh for Routledge.
Her work in applied theatre includes working on interdisciplinary projects with external partners to explore the effectiveness of applied approaches to eating behaviour, typically under 18s and older adults.