Staff Profile

Background

Katie is currently working as a Lecturer in Enterprise in the Science, Agriculture & Engineering Faculty where, in addition to her curriculum development, teaching and research commitments, she works with academic and other teaching staff in order to develop the Design, Innovation and Entrepreneurship activity of the Faculty.

Katie joined Newcastle University as part the Careers Service in 2007 where her role included the development and establishment of an embedded enterprise curriculum, and the support for entrepreneurship within the curriculum. Previous to this role, Katie worked for Newcastle City Council's City Technology Office as a Project Manager across a number of international projects focussed on supporting small, high-growth businesses and their contribution to the regional economy.

In 2011 Katie's development work took her into the Science, Agriculture & Engineering Faculty, where she is still based; responsible for student, researcher and staff innovation and entrepreneurial development through education and training. Within this part of her role, Katie designed and established a University-wide innovation accelerator scheme (Founderships) and a programme of training for Early-Career Researchers (Action for Impact) to channel their impact skills into the initiation of new projects and activities.

In 2013 Katie was awarded the VCs Educator Excellence Award

Roles and Responsibilities

• To promote an innovative, creative, resourceful and opportunistic approach to life, learning and work
• To encourage the application of enterprise leading to the creation of a new venture and the generation of new business
• To provide high quality teaching of enterprise education across the Faculty
• To coach and support students through the supervision of enterprise projects
• To support the development of enterprise related skills and content in academic modules for entrepreneurial students and graduates
• To encourage publications on teaching, pedagogy and commercial application

Katie's role supports the University's Start Up activity, within which Katie also supports students and graduates to turn their ideas into action.

Qualifications

PhD (current) Entrepreneurial Education for Engineering, School of Engineering, Newcastle University

BA(Hons) Applied Communications with Marketing and Management, Newcastle University
Get into Enterprise Tutor, accredited by Scottish Enterprise
PRINCE2 Practitioner

CMI Level 5 Award in Management Coaching and Mentoring (QCF).

Memberships

NCEE Entrepreneurship Education Fellow.
Member of the Institute of Small Business & Entrepreneurship and USA Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Fellow of the HEA

Katie's research interests are in the broadening of innovation and entrepreneurship education to suit the needs for scientists and engineers to drive innovation and respond to global challenges.

Her current research, across the School of Engineering and School of Education includes the development of an integrated teaching model for higher education which enables action-based outcomes for engineers, alongside the fundamental knowledge and skills required for the next wave of innovative problem-solvers.

Undergraduate Teaching

At undergraduate level I teach on the following modules across the SAgE Faculty:

MEC2008 Mechanical Engineering Professional Skills II

SUG3500 Creativity & Market Research (Interdisciplinary) (Module Leader)

EEE2008 Project and Professional Issues (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Postgraduate Teaching

At postgraduate level I teach two 20 credit modules Introduction to Enterprise & Entrepreneurship and Business Enterprise in Science & Engineering, which are currently offered to Renewable Energy, Enterprise & Management (MSc REEM), International Marine Environmental Consultancy (MSc IMEC) and Transport & Business Management (MSc).

SPG8015 Introduction to Enterprise & Entrepreneurship in Science & Engineering (also Module Leader)

SPG8016 Business Enterprise in Science & Engineering (also Module Leader)

Other Postgraduate Teaching:

SPG8500/SPG8501 Ideas for Business Enterprise in Science and Engineering (Module Leader)

• de Blaquiere GE, Nolan J, Wray K. Joining up the dots: telling the story of skills. In: Researcher Education and Development Conference. 2017, Leeds University.
• Jones B, Wray K, Scanlon E, de Blaquière GE. Increasing the engagement of researchers with skills training through the use of grand societal challenges; a case study on engagement with, and impact of, enterprise skills training at Newcastle University. In: International Conference on Developments in Doctoral Education. 2013, Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh: UK Council for Graduate Education.
• de Blaquière GE, Jones B, Scanlon E, Wray K. ACTION 2011: Sustainability - using problem based learning to increase engagement and impact of enterprise training for researchers. In: Competence and Problem Based Learning (CPBL). 2012, Rovaniemi, Finland.
• Watts CA, Wray K. Using toolkits to achieve STEM enterprise learning outcomes. Education and Training 2012, 54(4), 259-277.
• Watts CA, Wray K, Kennedy CMA, Freeman P, Trainer GH. Embedding enterprise in biosciences: Added value for employability. Industry and Higher Education 2010, 24(6), 487-494.