Professor Catherine McDermott

National Teaching Fellow 2015 Professor Catherine McDermott is a dynamic and inspirational teacher who has pioneered the new international discipline of curating through her MA Curating Contemporary Design course at Kingston University in partnership with the Design Museum London. Her programme championed a new generation of curators, enabling postgraduate students from very different educational and cultural backgrounds to make a significant impact in the creative sector. The impact of Catherine's teaching is seen both nationally and internationally, with her graduates transforming practice through an outstanding record of employment. The success of these alumni continue to support students and colleagues with a global network of curating practice. With extensive research and project management experience across educational and technical domains Catherine has also led on a range of international projects at Kingston. Through a major British Council project her work engages with the interdisciplinary practice of science and design, involving over 100 universities in China. Project Kingston Africa and The Material Project in Chile are both supported by innovative applications of the virtual learning environment (VLE) and a commitment to enhancing the student learning experience through internationalisation. Project outcomes deliver pioneer projects involving different disciplines, award winning exhibition outcomes and staff research. The integration of social and participatory media and e-learning in curating have underpinned a number of funding grants, including the HEA, Arts Council England, The British Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. She works extensively connecting industry and education to engage with real world challenges.  Catherine serves on national and international advisory boards, steering groups, committees and conference groups. She is an elected committee member of the International Committee of Museums (ICOM) UK and a longstanding member of the UK Museums Association. Catherine has published and presented conference proceedings, workshops and articles, including the use and evaluation of learning technologies. She wrote the Routledge book on Contemporary Design and edited a forthcoming edition of The Journal of Contemporary Art in China. She passionately believes in putting professional development into educational practice and is currently helping to build future curating training at Kingston with the new Design Museum opening in 2016.