Bethany Kiss (she/her)

Doctor of Philosophy - Science

Bethany trained in architecture and urban design, and spent several years in practice, before concerns about the environmental cost of how we build pushed her into research. Her PhD explores how animals live in and around our buildings, and how design can better support them.

Most of us only notice when a possum gets into the roof or a bird nests in an eave. She draws on a decade of Wildlife Victoria rescue records to map which parts of a building animals use and how people respond to sharing these spaces.

Through Wattle, Bethany wants to turn this research into a public tool with advice for Australian houses and backyards,  helping anyone renovating, building a house or choosing what to plant.

Beyond her PhD, she also uses public artwork, such as “Peckable architecture” at Federation Square and the Royal Botanic Gardens, to give urban birds a safer place to forage.