Kay is a critical care nurse researcher with an interest in understanding hypoxia, and inter-individual variations in response to it. She is also focussed on developing the research careers of healthcare researchers, whatever their background or profession. 

She has worked full time in research since 2006, first at University College London, and more recently at University Hospital Southampton and the University of Southampton. She has carried out research in healthy volunteers at altitude and in chambers, and in patients. She has also set up two organisations that support healthcare researchers access opportunities from multiple funders to develop their own careers.