Projects per year
Overview
Profile summary
I am Associate Head of School (Research) for Art, Design and Architecture and a Professor in Smart Cities and Communities
My research expertise includes smart cities, smart villages, digital technologies and the role of space and place. I am co-author with Alex Aurigi of two key Routledge volumes on Smart Cities, and in 2015 published Netspaces: Space and Place in a Networked World. My approach to smart cities is focused on the community in the spaces and the need to build from the ground-up to create inclusive environments. I have published widely on the topic. I am currently working on a range of funded research projects that explore how new technologies can create ways for people and communities to engage with place, with a particular focus on social and digital inclusion.
I was Interim Head of School of Art, Design and Architecture from 2021-2022, and previously REF UoA 13 Coordinator (2015-2022) in the School of Art, Design and Architecture and Co-Chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) within the School of Art, Design and Architecture (2019-2022).
I am a Visiting Research Fellow, The Centre for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), Kings College London.
From January 2024 to January 2025 I will be a Visiting Fellow at the Western Academy for Advanced Research at Western University, Canada.
Professional memberships
HEA Fellow (2013) Architects Registration Board (ARB) (2003–present) Fellow of RSA (Royal Society of Arts)
Roles on external bodies
Design Council Expert (Specialist)
Member of ITU Enabling People-Centred Cities through Digital Transformation Thematic Group
AHRC Peer Review College (2018–present)
ESRC Peer Review College (2020–present)
UKRI Future Talent Peer Review College (2022–present)
Board member - Fab City Plymouth
Board member - South West Infrastructure Partnership (SWIP) (2021-present)
Board Member of Connected Plymouth (2017–2021)
Trustee, Cornwall Museum Partnership (2021-2023)
Trustee, Co-Cars (2022-2022)
Supervised research degrees
Pamela Varley PhD, 2019
Sustainable Digital Neighbourhoods: A case study of people, place and technology under the rural village condition
Frank Loesche PhD, 2018
Unconscious creativity: Investigating the Moment when Solutions emerge in Problem Solving
Kathrin Schuette, 2018
MPhil - The role of virtual imaging in building conservation
Alex Lorimer, 2015
MPhil - Mass Participation Architecture: Social media and the decentralisation of architectural agencies as a commercial imperative
Teaching interests
BA Architecture
BA Unit Leader 2011 - 2015
ARCO319 2011 - 2015
Module Leader - COMN201 2011 - 2014
MA Architecture
Smart Urban Futures - Programme leader
Module Leader - MArch Emerging Research in Architecture 2016
Module Leader - MArch Urban Methodologies 2011-
PhD /MPhil supervision
2025- Ashita Gupta, DoS
2024- Sally Hall, DoS
2025- Anna Stoll, Second Supervisor
2022- Donglin Wang, DoS
2022- Alex Carr, 4th Supervisor
2020- Carlos Paka, DoS
2019 - 2025 Shadab Bhareini, Second Supervisor
2016 - 2025 Adam Guy, Second Supervisor
2013 - 2019 Pamela Varley DOS
2012 - 2018 Kathrin Schuette Second Supervisor
2014 - 2018 Frank Loesche Third Supervisor
2012 - 2015 Alex Lorimer (MPhil), Second Supervisor
External PhD Supervision
Abril Herrera Chavez, Space Syntax Research Lab, UCL, London - Third Supervisor
Lea Mauz, Pädagogische Hochschule Ludwigsburg, Germany - Third Supervisor
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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AHRC BEES - Building engagement in environment and space
Willis, K. (PI - Principal Investigator) & Gupta, A. (RA - Research Assistant)
1/02/24 → 31/01/25
Project: Research
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AHRC Whose Right to the Smart City
Willis, K. (PI - Principal Investigator) & Melgaco, L. (RA - Research Assistant)
1/01/16 → 30/12/18
Project: Research
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UKRI Enhancing place-based partnerships in public engagement: Pop Up Centre for Health Technology
Willis, K. (PI - Principal Investigator)
1/01/19 → 1/01/20
Project: Research
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LPIP TBC
Willis, K. (CoI - Co-Investigator), Piccini, A. (CoI - Co-Investigator), Agarwal, S. (CoI - Co-Investigator), Greaves, D. (CoI - Co-Investigator), Thompson, R. (CoI - Co-Investigator), Austen, M. (CoI - Co-Investigator) & Asthana, S. (PI - Principal Investigator)
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
18/04/23 → 17/09/23
Project: Research
Research output
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The Routledge Companion to Smart Cities
Willis, K. S. (Editor) & Aurigi, A. (Editor), 2020, 1 ed. London: Routledge. 460 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
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Digital and Smart Cities
Willis, K. & Aurigi, A., 19 Oct 2017Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
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Bridging place-based divides: The role of Community Hubs in equitable engagement with deprived communities
Willis, K., 31 Jul 2025, (Accepted/In press).Research output: Contribution to conference › Conference paper (not formally published) › peer-review
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Coastal and Rural Digital Exclusion - The Case for Voice AI
Baxter, R., Hagen, O., Aly, A., Jones, R. & Willis, K., 20 Feb 2025, Proceedings of the 18th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies. Science and Technology Publications, Lda, Vol. 2. p. 734-741 8 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference proceedings published in a book › peer-review
Open AccessFile11 Downloads (Pure) -
Connecting to the sea: A place-based study of the potential of digital engagement to foster marine citizenship
Willis, K. & Gupta, A., 31 Jan 2025, In: Urban Planning. 10, 8992.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile12 Downloads (Pure)
Activities
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Arts and Humanities Research Council (External organisation)
Willis, K. (Chair)
1 Apr 2025Activity: Membership › Member of advisory board, committee or working group
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2013 - 2019 Pamela Varley (PhD), Director of Studies
Willis, K. (Supervisor)
2013 → 2019Activity: Examination and supervision › Supervision › Internal
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Anna Stoll, Second Supervisor
Willis, K. (Supervisor)
31 Jan 0001 → …Activity: Examination and supervision › Supervision › Internal
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Arts and Humanities Research Council (External organisation)
Willis, K. (Chair)
2018 → …Activity: Membership › Member of grants peer review college or panel
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Adam Guy, Second Supervisor
Willis, K. (Supervisor)
2016 → …Activity: Examination and supervision › Supervision › Internal
Prizes
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•2023 Winner of APSE -Association for Public Service Excellence Innovation awards (Plymouth City Council)
Willis, K. (Recipient), 2023
Prize: Prize / award
Media stories
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Festival features best of city's art; UNIVERSITY GRADUATES GET TO SHOW TOP WORK
16/06/22
1 item of Media coverage
Media story
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Futures Implied: How Media Architecture shapes our cities
24/09/20
1 item of Media coverage
Media story
Datasets
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Digital Inclusion Baseline Survey
Willis, K. (Creator), University of Plymouth, 1 Sept 2025
DOI: 10.24382/b2e252fd-430b-4308-9cd5-bd8aba3187b1, https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/foahb-datasets/1/
Dataset
File