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Kat’s research group uses computational genomics and sequencing, phylogenetics, spatiotemporal analysis and epidemiology to study the evolution and transmission of bacterial pathogens, including tropical diseases such as typhoid, dysentery, E. coli diarrhoea, and tuberculosis; and hospital associated pathogens such as Klebsiella and Acinetobacter.

Kat is particularly interested in the global health crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), using genomic epidemiology tools to understand the evolutionary history and global dissemination of multidrug resistant pathogens, and developing new tools for prospective surveillance and tracking of emerging problems in the public health and clinical infectious disease space. Kat is also interested in human, animal and environmental microbiomes, and their role in chronic disease, infectious disease, and horizontal gene transfer.

Kat and her research team are particularly interested in the global health crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), using genomic epidemiology tools to understand the evolutionary history and global dissemination of multidrug resistant pathogens, and developing new tools for prospective surveillance and tracking of emerging problems in the public health and clinical infectious disease space. They are also interested in human, animal and environmental microbiomes, and their role in chronic disease, infectious disease, and horizontal gene transfer.

Currently, a major focus of the group is genomic surveillance and epidemiology of Klebsiella pneumoniae, a pathogen recognised as critically important by the World Health Organisation due to its concerning levels of AMR. Together with collaborators, Kat's team uses genomics to investigate Klebsiella populations, primarily those causing infections in humans; and translate this growing knowledge base into the informatics tools Kaptive (for capsule (K) and O antigen serotype prediction), and Kleborate (for speciation, AMR and virulence typing), to support global research and surveillance activities.

Another key focus is Salmonella Typhi, the agent of typhoid fever. In addition to applying genomics to investigate typhoid epidemiology, Kat's group developed and maintain the GenoTyphi genotyping scheme; helped establish and coordinate the Global Typhoid Genomics Consortium (see typhoidgenomics.org) and developed the typhi.net dashboard for interactive visualisation of genomics-derived AMR and lineage data for Typhi.

Kat and team develop bioinformatics software when needed, and have developed lab and computational methods for nanopore sequencing. The research group adhere to open science principles - lab policy is to publish open access wherever possible, with preprints available before peer review; to deposit all data in public databases; and to release open source code.