Kate Reynolds

Professor Kate Reynolds has for over two decades investigated the implications of people’s self-definition as group members (in terms of their social identity as “we” and “us”) for attitudes, well-being and behaviour. Her published work is at the forefront of developments in understanding how the transformation of social identity (and ingroup norms) and connecting with “new” meaningful “others” (ingroup members) is related to social and behaviour change. These ideas have been examined over the last 10 years through collaborations with ACT Education focusing on school climate, school (social) identity and school outcomes (e.g., well-being, engagement and achievement, bullying, cohesion). Most recently, in her role with the ANU Social Cohesion Grand Challenge (2019-2023) there is a focus on national and community (group) cohesion, its benefits and challenges and how it can be strengthened.
Kate has received research funding from the Australian Research Council (Discovery & Linkage) and Federal and State Governments and her research has appeared in leading scientific journals and volumes. She has extensive leadership experience serving on several committees including for government (Behavioural Economics Team Australia, PM&C), NGOs, (Scanlon Foundation Research Institute, John XXIII College), professional societies and editorial boards, at ANU (Human Ethics, ANU Academic Board, ANU Council) and currently at the University of Melbourne.