Katrin Wilhelm

I am a senior researcher and first-generation academic with a unique background, blending expertise in stonemasonry with a doctorate in Cultural Heritage Science, Physical, and Environmental Geography. My work integrates physical, engineering, social, environmental, digital, and health sciences, with a commitment to addressing systemic inequalities and decolonising research practices. My research focuses on enhancing historic and contemporary environment system contributions for 21st-century societies through three interlinked themes:

Working with Nature – Nature-based solutions:

This theme fosters synergies between 'nature' and 'culture' to enhance resilience and sustainability. The Urban Bio-Labs project, involving interdisciplinary teams and non-academic partners, examines how plants can engage the public with urban heritage. Additionally, I co-lead the international SXNCH network, focusing on natural and cultural heritage intersections to synchronise knowledge, diversify participation, and build resilience.

Collaborating with Communities – Human-based solutions:

Under the 'Smart Urban Culture' theme, I lead the Lab-In-Your-Pocket transforming smartphones into tools for digital, emotional, and environmental literacy, promoting Citizen Science. In partnership with the Polar Academy, I support 'invisible' teens, using smartphones to improve education for disadvantaged students and elevating smartphones from 'toys' to valuable scientific 'tools'.

Learning from the Past - Culture-based solutions:

The OPAQ project in Oxford uses the city's stone-built heritage as an indicator of historical air quality, turning urban heritage into a geochemical archive for past and present air pollution, including microplastics. This initiative links urban heritage with public health to promote the development of healthy, sustainable cities.

Beyond local, regional, and national networks, my international community and stakeholder engagement extends from Pompeii (Italy) to Petra (Jordan), and includes collaborations with colleagues and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Kakadu National Park (Australia).

Current project

I am the Senior Researcher on the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre Flourishing and Wellbeing Theme, where I am driving innovative research at the intersection of mental health and geography. 

The project investigates how gardens, woods, workplaces, and museums can function as dynamic 'living laboratories' to rigorously test interventions and understand how non-clinical experiences relate to mental health and well-being outcomes. Over the past year, I have expanded my role to establish a network of Living Lab study sites, conduct pilot studies, and integrate geographical methods into interdisciplinary research, while leading PPIEP and collaborative community outreach to achieve scientific, infrastructural, and public health goals.

I lead the development of the Ecological Collective Flourishing Operational Research Toolkit (ECOFLORET), which bridges scientific inquiry with participatory research and public engagement. This modular and adaptable toolkit combines analogue and digital methods to investigate how specific types and ‘doses’ of green space benefit individuals and the environment. It integrates measures of human and nature health, from mental health and job satisfaction to biodiversity and soil health, enabling a holistic study of flourishing. Currently, I am leading the study design for the E-Co-Flourishing Walk, which builds on ECOFLORET’s unique capacity to assess the mechanisms linking human and planetary health outcomes. 

By integrating participatory research with advanced methodologies, my work achieves public health and scientific goals while establishing innovative frameworks for interdisciplinary and integrative science at the nexus of geography, mental health, and environmental sustainability.