A young woman in a green shirt drawing or writing with a pencil on paper at a gray table in a classroom or studio, with anatomical posters of a human figure and a skeleton in the background.

Katie's Services

  • Maastricht University & Zuyd University of Applied Sciences
    MA in Scientific Illustration, 2025
    Thesis: Woven Ecologies - Exploring Co-productive Illustration with Indigenous Communities in Mo’orea

    Rice University
    BA in Studio Art, Minor in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Minor in Business, 2023
    Graduate Exhibition: everything but the kitchen sink

  • The Association of Medical Illustrators
    2025 - Vesalian Scholar Research Scholarship Award

    Rice University Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts
    2023 - Mavis C. Pitman Exhibition Fellowship

  • Contract Positions
    Sr. Medical Designer, Natera, Austin, TX, Mar. 2026 - present

    Scientific Illustrator, Harvard University Dept. of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Jan. 2026 - present

    Medical Illustrator/Graphic Designer, Fagron Genomics US, Austin, TX, Sept. 2025 - present

    Selected Published Work
    Sand Filters: Sea Cucumber Microbial Culturing Activity, UC Berkeley Gump Station and Association Te Pu ‘Atitia, 2025

    Tāura Honu (Ancestral Spirit of the Green Sea Turtle), Te Pu ‘Atitia, 2025

    ‘Aimeho i te rara varu (Octopus of Mo’orea), Te Pu ‘Atitia, 2025

    Coral Reef Keepers: Parrotfish Diet, Dentition, and Digestion, Evans Lab at Rice University, 2024

    Venous Salvage Intraoperative Management for DIEP Flap Reconstruction, Maastricht University Medical Center Plastic Surgery Department, 2024

    Understanding Hallux Valgus, Maastricht University Faculty of Orthopedics, 2024

    Exhibitions
    Association of Medical Illustrators, Lucille Innes Student Showcase, 2025

    Natuurmuseum Brabant, Visualizing Science: From Pencil to Pixel, 2025

    Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Graduate Exhibition, 2025

    Rice University, Graduate Exhibition, 2023

    Presentations
    Association of Medical Illustrators, Vesalian Scholar Conference Talk: Exploring the Role of Scientific Illustrators in Co-productive Research with Indigenous Communities

About the artist

Katie Kirkpatrick is based in Boston, Massachusetts. She firmly believes in the power of art and visualization in raising awareness and advancing education around critical scientific issues. As a skilled illustrator, she aims to support innovative research and contribute to relevant, global scientific conversations by creating precise and engaging visuals.

Katie grew up in Houston, Texas, where she developed a love for the arts, building foundations in traditional drawing and painting, as well as dancing, singing, acting, piano, and flute. Inspired by the intersection of expert scientific knowledge and exceptional art design, she pursued undergraduate studies in art and ecology before obtaining specialized training in scientific illustration to refine her visual communication abilities.

Outside of her work, Katie enjoys spending time with her cat and searching for new foods to share.

Photograph by Rick Ruskus, Natuurmuseum Brabant