Hello, my name is Dr Kate McLean and I work at the intersection of human-perceived smellscapes, cartography and the communication of ‘eye-invisible’ sensed data. To achieve this, I lead international public smellwalks and translate the resulting data using digital design, watercolour, animation, scent diffusion and sculpture into smellscape mappings.

In 2019 I completed my PhD, “Nose-first: practices of smell walking and smellscape mapping” at the Royal College of Art under the expert guidance of Professor Teal Triggs and external advisor Chris Perkins (University of Manchester).

I lead the BA Graphic Design programme at University of Kent (Canterbury Campus); a three-year degree. I also supervise Masters by Research students interested in how they can deploy design to research and communicate a range of social issues from dyslexia in HE to tattoo culture and am open to supervise PhD students interested in Visual Communication.

Over time I have noticed how much I appreciate being outdoors; I regularly run, cycle and sea-swim. But I also love to travel, explore, get lost, snowboard, kayak, sail, and walk with my labradoodle.

For my research interests see Research