Grace van der Wielen joined Forest Research in July 2023. She has an academic background in literary and cultural studies from the University of Edinburgh (MA Hons) and the University of York (MA), with a particular interest in the environmental humanities. Her postgraduate dissertation focused on the relationship between subjectivity and nature within apartheid-era novels in South Africa. Grace’s entry point into social research was via her work on a community development project in the Scottish Highlands. She developed her qualitative skillset further in her role at a multidisciplinary social research agency based in London. Alongside training in ethnographic methodologies, she worked on projects focused on behaviour change, user experiences and service evaluation across the public and private sectors. She also has experience working and volunteering within community-led conservation projects and teaching.