Katherine Wyers, PhD

Because an "edge case" is someone's actual life.

I split my time between academic research, public sector consultancy, and grassroots advocacy. It all comes down to one thing, about how hard and how risky it can be for someone to take part in a system that wasn't built with them in mind. In practice, that means working with data systems, standards, and classifications, the parts of the infrastructure that decide who fits and who doesn't.

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The Philosophy

Standardised systems tend to exclude the people who need them most, leaving people behind when forms and policies are only built for a default user. You can see it in a form that only has two gender options, or a biometric system that can't handle certain skin colours, or a sizing chart built around one shape. When someone gets left out, they're usually the one who ends up needing find a solution. They're told their body doesn't fit, their data doesn't fit, when really the fault is in the design of the system. I work between academic research, public sector consulting, and grassroots advocacy because I find the same kind of problem across all three.

The Ecosystem

Research

Uncovering how categorisation shapes lives.
PhD in Information Systems, focused on how personal data gets classified in the public sector, and what happens to the people who don't fit the categories. I gives lectures on this this topic with university students and people working in practice who build these systems.
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Wyerworks Advisory

Applied inclusion for public & global systems.
Founder and Principal. I take what the research surfaces and put it in front of the people who can actually change how a system is built, before the architectural decisions become a risk for someone's daily life. Right now, I'm working with an international NGO as the identity-data specialist on the design of a multi-country DHIS2 system.
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Grassroots Lab

Intersectional grassroots action at the margins.
Co-founder of a Scottish cross-community organisation for people structurally excluded from mainstream systems. The first project is yourclothesdontfit.org, which helps people get custom, self-measured clothing instead of settling for what fits the standard sizing chart. This is a version of the same thing I look at in my research. The measurements are not for all the people actually wearing the clothes, just like how nobody planned for all the people who will actually fill in the form.
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Writing

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Featured Spotlight

Current Focus

"Your Clothes Don't Fit" is a grassroots pilot run through "Grassroots Lab" that started when we saw that many people's bodies don't align with the standardised measurements used when mass-producing clothing. Sewing isn't just a crafty hobby. It's a way to stop relying on a chart that was never built for you, and start making something that actually fits the shape of your body.

Get in Touch

Whether it's a chat about a research topic, a review of a system that handles sensitive data, or something at the grassroots, I'd like to hear about it. Fill in the form below and I'll get back to you soon.

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