Dr. Cathy Waite is a Research Fellow in the Faculty of Education working in youth sociology.

She has previously worked as a Research Consultant at the Social Research Centre (owned by the Australian National University) where she was project manager on multiple program evaluations. These projects were commissioned by government to ascertain the effectiveness of a range of social interventions, ranging from education programs to employment initiatives, and projects focused on supporting vulnerable youth and child care subsidy recipients.

She has also been a committed and innovative educator, having taught across a range of areas within the field of Sociology.  Cathy has lectured in the areas of Family studies, Youth studies and first year sociology, and tutored in the areas of ethnicity and identity, popular culture, digital life, environment and society, gender and sexuality, globalization and social theory.

Her scholarly work is broadly concerned with highlighting the inequalities faced by young people in contemporary Australia and providing a voice for those on the margins. As a researcher, Cathy seeks to contribute to a body of knowledge that helps to improve participation in, and access to, education by articulating barriers and focusing on opportunities for change.  In particular, she is interested in young people in Australia’s rural and regional areas and their subjective experiences of space and place. Her doctoral research investigated the place-making practices of young people from different backgrounds in regional Australia, and highlighted the contradictory role that digital technologies played in young peoples’ spatial experiences.