Professor Katherine Linehan

Responsibilities

Professor Katherine Linehan is Pro-Vice-Chancellor (PVC) for EDI, People and Culture.

Professor Katherine Linehan is the University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for EDI, People and Culture with responsibility for driving Equality, diversity and inclusion and people-orientated policy and initiatives across the University. In her role Katherine champions equality of opportunity, support and recognition for staff and students with protected characteristics and leads actions to deliver on the University’s EDI and People Strategic Delivery Plans to ensure all policies and practices are transparent, fair and inclusive. 

Profile

Katherine joined the University in January 2022. Prior to her appointment, she was Professor of Anatomical Education at the University of Sheffield, leading the Anatomy team in the School of Biosciences and as Director for EDI for its Faculty of Science. In addition, she was the deputy EDI lead for the institution as a whole and chaired the institution’s Gender Equality Committee, securing the Silver Athena SWAN award for it in 2018. Katherine also led Sheffield’s response to the UKRI and EPSRC Race Equality Initiative and the diversification of the curriculum across her Faculty.

A graduate of the University of Sheffield, Professor Katherine Linehan attained her PhD at the University of Hull and started her career in academia with teaching and research roles at the University of Liverpool. She joined the University of Sheffield in 2003.

Teaching Summary

Katherine has expertise both in the disciplines of Human Anatomy and in Adult Education and the focus of her career has been the creation of inclusive educational experiences that appeal to all learners, irrespective of their ethnic, social or academic background. She designed and developed a whole new undergraduate and postgraduate Anatomy curriculum to meet these goals and was the creator of the sector leading and HEA-accredited Anatomy Master’s programme which has trained a large number of the Anatomy Lecturers who now work in the HE sector.

Katherine is also passionate about the potential for digital teaching and learning and has developed award-winning online courses on Forensic Science and Facial Reconstruction. Katherine has been recognised for this work with a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy.