Kathleen is a senior principal researcher and leads the group in the Climate Science Centre of CSIRO Ocean and Atmosphere that undertakes climate and extremes, projections and coastal research including sea-level rise and coastal extremes. Her work deals with how climate change will affect severe weather and coastal extreme sea levels through numerical modelling and climate model analysis with a focus on Australia and small islands. She has developed climate projections for impact and adaptation assessments to assist local government manage and adapt to climate change. Her contribution to this work was awarded Eureka awards in 2003 and 2009 She has published over 50 refereed publications and over 70 other reports and articles and was a contributing author on the IPCC second, third and fourth assessment reports. She was a lead author on the IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation, the IPCC Working Group 2 Fifth assessment report on Coastal Systems and Low-Lying Areas and is currently working on the IPCC Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere. She was part of the CSIRO team that developed a wave energy atlas for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).