Prof. Dr. Noelle Aarts
Professor of Socio-Ecological Interactions, Institute for Science in Society
Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Contact: noelle.aarts@ru.nl
Website: https://www.ru.nl/personen/aarts-m
Biography: Noelle Aarts, cultural anthropologist and communication scholar, is Professor of Socio-ecological Interactions at the Institute for Science in Society (ISiS) at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. In research and teaching, she focuses on conversations between people engaged in complex social issues from different backgrounds and interests. She has published on various topics such as conflict and negotiation in socio-ecological transformation contexts (e.g., in living laboratories for biodiversity restoration), dealing with ambivalence in solving complex problems, and networking and self-organization for sustainable land use.
Presentation title: Connecting in times of division – on the value of good conversations
Prof. Naoko Ellis and Prof. Derek Gladwin
Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and
Associate Professor, Department of Language and Literacy Education
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Contact: naoko.ellis@ubc.ca and derek.gladwin@ubc.ca
Biography: Derek Gladwin (Associate Professor, Language & Literacy Education, UBC) and Naoko Ellis (Full Professor, Chemical & Biological Engineering, UBC) are a collaborative team and co-founding members of the Systems Beings Lab and the Collaborative PhD Cohort on Climate Action at the University of British Columbia (UBC). They complement their diverse disciplinary backgrounds within the nexus of climate and sustainability education, blending the socio-cultural with STEM and technical approaches, to provide holistic and transdisciplinary perspectives. They have published articles and books on topics such as energy transition, transdisciplinary education, carbon capture and conversion technology, and complexity and storytelling. They also give talks and workshops and consult with global partners on educational design.
Presentation title: Storying Regenerative Futures
Ashley Fairbanks
Creative Director, 100% Campaign
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Contact: ziibiing.com/contact
Website: ziibiing.com
Biography: Ashley Fairbanks an Anishinaabe artist, writer, organizer, and digital strategist with over 15 years of experience doing digital strategy, design, art direction and messaging work. She has a design practice, trains people on anti-racist work, does strategic communications and design, and runs social media and narrative work for campaigns and nonprofits. Currently she is the Creative Director of the 100% Campaign, an organization dedicated to advocating for the transition to an equitable clean energy future in Minnesota.
She started her career designing museum exhibitions, and has worked on everything from municipal to presidential campaigns. She’s started an Indigenous farmer’s market, and a political wing of a hip-hop label. It’s been a crazy journey.
Nowadays she works mostly on policy that impacts Indigenous people and climate issues that impact everyone.
Presentation title: How Does Climate Hope Feel In Our Bodies?
Prof. Dr. Reyer Gerlagh
Professor, Department of Economics
Tilburg University, The Netherlands
Contact: R.Gerlagh@tilburguniversity.edu
Website: http://www.gerlagh.nl/
Biography: After a PhD in Amsterdam, I visited Oslo, went to Manchester, and came to Tilburg. I’m Professor of Economics and was Coordinating Lead Author of the fifth assessment report of the IPCC, WGIII. I believe we need to take responsibility. I was Head of the Economics Department and I’m now Vice Dean Research of TiSEM. I have published mostly in economic journals on climate policies and in 2023 decided to join the Extinction Rebellion protests against fossil fuel subsidies. I hope to contribute positively to the energy transition, in the Netherlands, in Europe, in the World. We need it for a better future.
Presentation title: Stimulating climate action: scenarios versus responsibility
Prof. Teenie Matlock
Professor Emerita, Department of Cognitive Science
University of California Merced, USA
Contact:tmatlock [at] ucmerced [dot] edu
Website: https://teeniematlock.com/
Biography: Teenie Matlock is Professor Emerita of Cognitive Science at University of California, Merced, where she held the McClatchy Chair in Communications and served as the Vice Provost for Academic Personnel. She has received awards for distinction in research, teaching, mentoring, and academic leadership, and served as a member the National Institutes of Health’s Language and Communication study section as well as the Cognitive Science Society governing board. She was Associate Editor of Cognitive Linguistics, and has served on various editorial boards, such as Environmental Communication and Metaphor and Thought. A cognitive scientist and linguist by training, Matlock has published over 100 articles on the use and understanding of language in everyday communication, with special interest in how metaphor affects reasoning about life’s complexities and challenges, including climate change, wildfires, disease, and technology.
Prof. Jenny Pickerill
Professor in Environmental Geography, Department of Geography
University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
Contact: j.m.pickerill@sheffield.ac.uk
Website: https://www.jennypickerill.info/
Biography: Jenny Pickerill is a Professor of Environmental Geography at Sheffield University, England. Her research focuses on inspiring grassroots solutions to environmental problems and in hopeful and positive ways in which we can change social practices. She has published 3 books (Cyberprotest; Anti-war Activism; Eco-Homes) and over 30 articles on themes around environmentalism, Indigenous geographies, anarchism and eco-housing.
Presentation title: Generating hopeful climate action