Meet our
Speakers
Our symposium brings together a distinguished group of leading scientists, policymakers, and researchers from across the globe. Each speaker is a recognized expert in their field, contributing unique insights into the critical intersection of biodiversity, climate change, and human health.
Dr. Peninah Murage
Epidemiologist at The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Dr. Peninah Murage is an Assistant Professor in Environmental Epidemiology at the Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health. Her research examines the health effects of changes in the environment and sustainable adaptation and mitigation solutions. This includes quantifying the impact of climate change on health, understanding the complex linkages between people and natural ecosystems, and identifying nature-based solutions that can simultaneously promote health, safeguard natural ecosystems, and achieve sustainable development.
Dr. Liz Willetts
Planetary Health Governance Expert at International Institute for Sustainable Development
Dr. Elizabeth Willetts is a Science-Policy Associate at the InterAmerican Institute for Global Change and an Instructor at the Global Health Academy and the Edinburgh Futures Institute, University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She has held strategic roles for the WHO and the UN Economic and Social Commission for the Asia and the Pacific, and was a technical advisor to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity for the development of a global action plan on biodiversity and health. She is also the Lead on Nature and Mental Health for the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management’s Human Health Thematic Group. Previously, she was Planetary Health Policy Director at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In 2024, she was nominated and accepted as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (USA).
Prof. Katherine Jane Willis
Ecologist at the University of Oxford
Professor Katherine Jane Willis, Baroness Willis of Summertown, CBE, FGS, is a British ecologist who studies the relationship between long-term ecosystem dynamics and environmental change. She is a Professor of Biodiversity in the Department of Biology and Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Oxford. She is also a Crossbench Peer in the UK House of Lords. She recently published a book exposing the causal relationship between nature and our health.
Prof. Carsten Rahbek
Macroecologist at the University of Copenhagen
Professor Carsten Rahbek is a Danish ecologist, a professor of Biodiversity at the University of Copenhagen, and Director of the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate. His research in biodiversity, macroecology, and biogeography has played a key role in establishing the natural dynamics arising from climate or land-use change. His work has also contributed to transforming the fields of conservation biology, ecology, and evolution. He has been one of the pioneers in relating biodiversity to health aspects, including vector-borne diseases.
Prof. Frank Møller Aarestrup
Microbiologist at the Technical University of Denmark
Professor Frank Møller Aarestrup is a leader in the study of antibiotic resistance, investigating how it spreads between animals, humans, and the environment. His research has contributed to international standards for the detection and monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in food-borne pathogens and has had a major influence on the ways antimicrobial agents are used worldwide.
Assoc. Prof. Anna-Sofie Stensgaard
Disease Ecologist at the University of Copenhagen
Associate Professor Anna-Sofie Stensgaard is a disease ecologist at the University of Copenhagen. Her research aims to unravel local to global scale drivers of vector-borne disease distributions and dynamics. The focus is on quantifying the effect of climate change versus other environmental drivers, with the aim of making the best possible predictions about future disease spread and trends.
PhD Stud. Tiem van der Deure
Ecologist at the University of Copenhagen
Tiem van der Deure is a PhD student at the Section of Pathobiological Sciences and the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, investigating how climate and land-use change affect the spread of vector-borne diseases.
Attend the symposium
Join the conversation and shape the future
This exclusive, in-person symposium is limited to 90 participants to foster high-quality discussions and valuable networking opportunities. Secure your place today to connect with leading experts and contribute to building actionable solutions at the intersection of biodiversity and health.