Born in 1946, Cullen was educated at
Christchurch Girls' High School, and went on to study at the
University of Canterbury where she completed a
Master of Arts degree in English in 1968. In 1968, she was awarded the Tytheridge travelling scholarship in arts. She then completed a
Master of Letters at the
University of Edinburgh, returning to New Zealand to complete a Master of Arts in librarianship and a
PhD at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). Cullen then joined the faculty of the School of Government at Victoria University of Wellington, rising to full professor. Cullen was appointed emeritus professor of the university on her retirement. Cullen co-chaired a session on "The Foundations of Innovation in Government Must Rest on Sound Policies, Governance Principles, Ethics, and Laws" at the 44th
Hawaiian International Conference on System Sciences. Cullen has written or edited several books on e-government, and health information on the internet. == Honours and awards ==