Good Nature: The new science of how nature improves our health
On Wednesday 17 September 2025, renowned British biologist Professor Baroness Kathy Willis CBE will deliver the prestigious Doggerland Lecture in Rotterdam.
The British Council and the Natural History Museum Rotterdam are organising the 11th edition of the lecture series (formerly known as the Hoboken Lecture).
About the Lecture
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.
Join Kathy, author of Good Nature (Groene Zintuigen in Dutch), as she takes a science-based look at how, by bringing nature into our towns and cities, we can reduce the costs of healthcare and create a better, happier and healthier environment.
Programme
19:00 Doors open, location Kunsthal - opposite the museum
19:30 Welcome Meike Moors, director Natural History Museum Rotterdam
19:35 Musical prelude
19:50 Introduction of the speaker and her topic by a dutch scientist
20:00 Doggerland lecture: Professor Baroness Kathy Willis CBE
20:45 Q&A: moderated by Maarten Keulemans, science editor de Volkskrant
21:15 Closing remarks
21:20 Drinks and reception in the Natural History Museum Rotterdam
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.
About the Doggerland Lecture
The British Council and the Natural History Museum Rotterdam proudly join forces once again to 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 venue of the Doggerland Lecture is the auditorium of the Kunsthal, directly opposite the Natural History Museum. The Doggerland Lecture is the successor to the Hoboken Lecture which delivered ten lectures between 2011 and 2023.