JULIA WATSON

Julia Watson, Australian-born and of Greco-Egyptian descent, is a leading voice in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). She is the author of Lo—TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism (Taschen, 2019) and the forthcoming Lo—TEK Water: A Fieldguide for TEKnologists (2025), both exploring Indigenous earth-based technologies worldwide. Raised in Australia, where Aboriginal knowledge is integrated into education, Watson is dedicated to helping other nations do the same. A Harvard-trained landscape architect, she has taught at Columbia, Harvard, and RISD. Watson has traveled extensively to engage with Indigenous communities and respectfully share their practices. She cofounded the Lo—TEK Institute to champion generational wisdom through nature-based education and co-created The Living Earth Curriculum and Digital Database to embed TEK in STEM learning. She also leads the Lo—TEK Office for Intercultural Urbanism in Brooklyn, providing strategic design that centers culture, ecology, and innovation.