{"id":114294,"date":"2026-02-17T16:03:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondconference.org\/?page_id=114294"},"modified":"2026-02-17T16:03:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:03:25","slug":"katharine-willis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/beyondconference.org\/b25\/speakers\/katharine-willis\/","title":{"rendered":"Katharine Willis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Speakers<\/h3><\/div><\/div> \n\n
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26 November<\/h5>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t11:45<\/strong><\/br>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tCreative Coastal Futures<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n\t<\/div><\/div>

Katharine Willis<\/h1>

Professor of Smart Cities and Communities<\/h4>

University of Plymouth<\/h4>

Speaker Biography<\/h3>

Katharine is Associate Head of School (Research) for Art, Design and Architecture and a leading scholar in smart cities and communities. Her research explores smart cities, smart villages, digital technologies, and the relationship between space, place, and social inclusion. She is co-author, with Alex Aurigi, of two influential Routledge volumes on Smart Cities and author of Netspaces: Space and Place in a Networked World (2015). Her work emphasises community-centred, ground-up approaches to digital innovation and the creation of inclusive environments.
\nKatharine currently leads several funded projects examining how emerging technologies can enhance engagement with place, with a focus on digital and social inclusion. She previously served as Interim Head of School (2021\u20132022), REF UoA 13 Coordinator (2015\u20132022), and Co-Chair of the School\u2019s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
\nShe is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Urban Science and Progress, King\u2019s College London, and a 2024\u201325 Visiting Fellow at the Western Academy for Advanced Research, Western University, Canada.<\/p>

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