Kate McGregor

Kate McGregor began her PhD in Scottish History at the University of St Andrews in September 2021, under the supervision of Dr Amy Blakeway and Professor Michael Brown. Her thesis examines foreign policy and diplomacy during the adult rule of James V, King of Scots (1528-1542), for which she is fully funded by the Ewan and Christine Brown Postgraduate Scholarship in the Arts and Humanities. After completing her undergraduate degree at St Andrews, with First-Class honours and the Deans' List Award, she undertook a MPhil in Early Modern History at the University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Professor Clare Jackson at Trinity Hall, at which her dissertation examined Court Festivities and Ceremonial during the Adult Rules of James V, King of Scots (1528–1542) and Mary, Queen of Scots (1561–1567).

Recently published in the prestigious journal The Scottish Historical Review Kate reviewed William Hepburn's monograph The Household and Court of James IV of Scotland, 1488-1513 (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2023). She currently has an article out for peer-review with Scottish Archives and is contributing to an upcoming volume entitled Scotland and England, c.1300 to 1603: War, Diplomacy and Power, edited by Andy King, Jenny McHugh and Gordon McKelvie (Brepols: Forthcoming). 

In addition to her PhD research and publication work, Kate is an undergraduate tutor on modules including MO1007 The Early Modern Western World (c.1450-c.1770) and ME1006 The Kingdom of the Scots (c.900-1707). In March 2024 she lectured on ME1006 in a panel discussing 'Diplomacy (and dissent?)' in early modern Scotland. She was a Research Assistant on a project investigating notaries and their networks in St Andrews from 1466-1560, supervised by the University of St Andrews Library’s Special Collection’s Senior Archivist Mrs Rachel Hart and by Professor Michael Brown. To support this project Kate was awarded the Burnwynd Trust's St Andrews Local History Foundation Bursary in June 2022. She is currently a member of the Institute of Scottish Historical Research (ISHR), the St Andrews Institute of Medieval Studies (SAIMS), the Scottish Medievalists, the Scottish History Society, and the Royal Historical Society (RHS). She was also previously a Website and Blog Editor for the Northern Early Modern Network, a peer network for early modern scholars across the UK and beyond; an editor for Cambridge's Doing History in Public blog; and Postgraduate Research (PGR) Representative on the School of History's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Kate is currently based at The Strathmartine Centre in St Andrews. The Strathmartine Trust was established by the late Dr Ronald Cant to encourage and support the study of all periods of Scottish history, continuing the work to which he devoted most of his life.