Catherine O'Donnell is an expert in cultural and intellectual history, American political thought and religious studies. O'Donnell is a faculty head & professor in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies. As an associate history professor, she teaches courses on early American history and the Atlantic World.

O'Donnell is the author of two books, Elizabeth Seton: American Saint and Men of Letters in the Early Republic. She has also written articles appearing in the William and Mary Quarterly, the Journal of the Early Republic, Early American Literature, and the US Catholic Historian.