About the Doggerland Lecture
The British Council and the Natural History Museum Rotterdam proudly present the Doggerland Lecture, an annual lecture that combines natural sciences with culture. The lecture highlights the crucial role that scientific research and cultural activity play in helping us understand contemporary society. It also aims to reposition important debates where they belong — in the public domain, among engaged and informed citizens. The audience is encouraged to interact with the speaker and to contribute to the discussion. The Doggerland Lecture is the successor to the Hoboken Lecture which delivered ten lectures between 2011 and 2023.
Doggerland Lecture 2025 - Good Nature: The new science of how nature improves our health
Did you know that cedar enhances cancer-fighting cells in our immune system? Or that touching wood makes us feel calmer (the woodier, the knottier, the better)? Or that the scent of roses helps people drive more calmly and safely?
Fifteen years ago, eminent biologist Professor Baroness Kathy Willis CBE of the University of Oxford read a study that radically changed her view of our relationship to the natural world. The study revealed that hospital patients recovering from surgery improved three times faster when they looked out of their windows at trees rather than seeing walls. Since then, she has dedicated her research to proving this link between the amount of green space in our lives and our better health, mood and longevity.
On Wednesday 17 September 2025, renowned British biologist Professor Baroness Kathy Willis CBE delivered the prestigious 2025 Doggerland Lecture in Rotterdam. Watch the recording of the lecture below.
About Professor Baroness Kathy Willis CBE
Professor Baroness Kathy Willis CBE is Professor of Biodiversity in the department of Biology and the Principal of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford.
She is also a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. Previous roles include Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Key, and a member of the UK Government’s Natural Capital Committee.
In 2015, Kathy was awarded the Michael Faraday Medal for public communication of the science from the Royal Society.
Kathy is the author of Good Nature (Groene Zintuigen in Dutch).