Overview
This conference will take place at EMBL Heidelberg, with the option to attend virtually.
Symposium overview
The symposium will delve into the critical role of sustainable practices within the scientific community. As researchers grapple with global challenges, it becomes imperative to adopt environmentally responsible and socially equitable research methodologies. This symposium will explore topics such as green laboratory practices, the inspiring role of grassroots movements, organisation’s sustainability strategies, and the vital role of funders, always with an eye on the future. By fostering a culture of sustainability within science, we can reduce our ecological footprint, enhance research integrity, and ensure the long-term viability of scientific research.
Through a series of keynote presentations and panel discussions, participants will have the opportunity to engage with leading experts and share their own experiences in sustainable science. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing, this event aims to inspire scientists to embrace sustainability as a core principle of their work.
This symposium is being hosted at EMBL Heidelberg and virtually as part of the SuReSymp programme of annual sustainable research symposiums. It is being organised in collaboration with EMBO, the Sustainable European Laboratories Network (SELs), and with support from the European Union’s Climate Pact.
Organising Partners
Satellite Event Partners
Speakers
KEYNOTE SPEAKER – Fernando Valladares
Fernando Valladares is a CSIC researcher and professor at the Rey Juan Carlos University. He leads the Ecology and Global Change group at the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC). Fernando is a highly cited scientist for his research on biodiversity and the impacts of climate change (valladares.info). In 2021 he received the Jaume I Award and the Environmental Communication Award from the BBVA Foundation. In 2023 he published the book “La recivilización” that brings together a good part of his thinking. In 2024 he receives the Planet Earth Award from the Alliance of World Scientists, and the gold medal from the Red Cross for his dissemination and ecosocial awareness work, which can be followed on networks and at www.lasaluddelahumanidad.com
Brendan Rouse
Brendan is the Head of Sustainability at EMBL. A sustainability professional with over ten years of experience of delivering award-winning sustainability initiatives in healthcare, property and life science research in the UK and Germany. Brendan is an EU Climate Pact Ambassador and has an MSc in Sustainable Resource Management and is a co-founder of the Sustainable European Laboratories network (SELs).
Marta Rodríguez-Martínez
Marta Rodríguez-Martínez, Sustainability Officer at EMBL is a Research Scientist and expert in research sustainability. In parallel to her research experience, she has been long involved in environmental sustainability. At the Francis Crick Institute, she collaborated with the sustainability team as research sustainability manager and is a co-founder of SELs. Marta has extensively written about the topic and is also part of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project leadership corps.
Martin Farley
Martin is currently the Associate Director of Environmental Sustainability at UKRI. He has worked around sustainable research for over a decade, and founded the LEAF programme and co-founded SELs. He initiated sustainable science programmes at Edinburgh, King’s College London, and UCL.
Philipp Weber
Philipp is the Sustainability Officer at EMBO, co-founder of Green Labs Austria and SELs. He is a scientist by training and is active in a number of areas relevant to the sustainable development of life science research. One of his goals is to promote exchange between different stakeholders, such as funding organisations, research institutions and bottom-up initiatives.
Valeria Scagliotti
Building on over a decade of research experience, Valeria now focuses on driving sustainability in the life sciences sector as an independent consultant under the name of SustainLABility. She has been guiding researchers and institutions toward sustainable practices, and she supports the coordination of the SELs network and its activities, including training initiatives. Valeria is also a passionate advocate for scientists’ active engagement in societal challenges through activism and is a committed member of Scientist Rebellion, a global climate action group.
Loïc Lannelongue
Loïc is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge leading a research group studying the environmental impacts of computing. Passionate about environmental sustainability and responsible science, he is involved in both research and policy internationally. He leads the Green Algorithms initiative, which promotes more environmentally sustainable computational science, and manages the Green DiSC certification framework for sustainable computing. He is a Software Sustainability Institute Fellow, a visiting scientist at the European Bioinformatic Institute (EMBL-EBI) and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Florijn Dekkers
Florijn is a senior postdoc and part of the Green Labs Initiative at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology and a member of Green Labs Netherlands. Embedded in the DREAM3DLAB, her work focusses on developing advanced 3D imaging technologies to better understand and tackle the aggressive nature of cancer.
Nick Souter
Nick is a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex. In recent years, his work has focused on measuring and reducing the carbon footprint of computing required in human neuroimaging research, with a specific focus on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This has included generating evidence-based recommendations aimed at multiple stages of the research process, from study planning, to data processing, to data dissemination. Nick has delivered workshops focused on green computing in relation to neuroimaging specifically and to research high-performance computing more generally.
Saroj Saurya
Saroj Saurya earned a DPhil from the University of Oxford under Professor Jordan Raff and is the Raff Lab Manager at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology. As chair of the Dunn School Green Group, she has driven sustainability efforts, earning LEAF Gold awards for the Raff Lab over several years. In 2023, all Dunn School labs achieved 100% LEAF certification and a Green Impact Gold Award, with Saroj receiving the Environmental Sustainability Staff Award. In 2024, Green Group efforts secured LEAF Gold and Green Impact Gold awards for all Dunn School labs.
Hollyn Hartlep
Hollyn is the Sustainability Coordinator at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), where she leads the development and implementation of the center’s sustainability strategy. She oversees the LEAF lab sustainability program and collaborates with the employee sustainability group to drive impactful campaigns. Hollyn holds a Master of Science in Sustainability, Society, and the Environment from Kiel University.
Bianca Schell
Biochemist by training, Bianca is now doing her PhD on laboratory sustainability with a scholarship from the Evonik Foundation. She is primarily working on the topics of avoiding single-use plastics and increasing the recycling of laboratory plastic and energy-efficient laboratory operation with a focus on laboratory ventilation. After the extensive comparative study on the sustainable lab programs LEAF and My Green Lab, Bianca is also working on an open-access, individual research-specific tool to increase sustainable lab practices.
Charles Joly
As the Associate Director of Sustainability at Wellcome, Charles leads on Wellcome’s approach to corporate sustainability, including the delivery of its net zero targets, efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of its operations, and its strategic approach to broader Environmental Social and Governance matters. Charles is a sustainability strategist with over 15 years’ experience delivering a pioneering approach to sustainability, fast-tracking ESG and reputational performance for high-profile organisations. He has led the development and implementation of award-winning sustainability programmes for the National Health Service, the Bank of England, the London School of Economics, and Herbert Smith Freehills.
Preliminary Programme
The symposium is designed to evolve from foundational concepts to a holistic vision of sustainable research. It highlights the significance of each step, from individual actions to institutional engagement, offering a comprehensive understanding of the roles played and those needed for future progress. The goal is to foster a dynamic forum for discussion, bringing together all stakeholders to collaboratively identify actionable solutions for sustainable science.
The programme will include interactive sessions and panel discussions.
See speakers section for a full profile description of the participants.
Opening Session
Introduction – Brendan Rouse, Head of Sustainability at EMBL
Opening remarks – Edith Heard, EMBL Director General
Keynote Lecture – Fernando Valladares, Research Professor at the Spanish Research Council and expert in Climate Change.
Session I: General Concepts and Sustainable Practices
Session II: Advancing from the Bottom-Up – The Evolution of Grassroots Initiatives
Session III: Top-Down Approaches in Action – Institutional Leadership for Sustainability
Session IV: Broadening the Funders Landscape – Integrating Diverse Stakeholders into Sustainable Research
Session V: Integrative Strategies for Unified Action – Tools and future paths
