Science in Action: Five Global Challenges, One Shared Future

This event has already happened

Tuesday 9 September 2025 9:00am to 7:00pm

The Royal Society, London, UK

About

IIASA, UKRI and the Royal Society bring together scientific leaders from the UK and IIASA's global networks to strengthen the UK’s strategic engagement with IIASA across science, policy, and diplomacy, identifying high-impact collaborative opportunities to drive lasting solutions to global challenges.

How can science help society navigate a world of rapid change, rising risks, and transformative technology? This high-level IIASA-UK event at the Royal Society brings together some of the latest research and policy insight to explore future-facing solutions to today’s grand challenges—from the climate crisis and global health inequalities to energy innovation, AI, and science diplomacy. Bridging disciplines, borders, and sectors, the sessions offer bold ideas grounded in systems thinking—designed to inform UK leadership and global action alike. As a global leader in applied systems analysis, IIASA brings a uniquely integrative perspective to these challenges. 

 

08:30 - Registration and Refreshments

09:00 - Opening Remarks

Master of Ceremony: Jim Hall, Professor of Climate and Environmental Risks, University of Oxford

09:15 - About IIASA Presentation

09:30 - Session 1: Science Diplomacy in a Fragmented World

In an increasingly fragmented geopolitical landscape, science is one of the few domains still capable of building trust across borders. Beyond scientific collaboration, science diplomacy deliberately engages science in service of international policy and relations - now used by a growing range of actors beyond nation-states. Yet this role is under pressure: scientific openness and cooperation face mounting threats, from geopolitical tensions to restrictions on research.  

This session examines the strategic role of science diplomacy in fostering global cooperation, with special focus on engaging the Global South. IIASA’s longstanding role as a neutral convenor, combined with the UK’s leadership in science diplomacy, offers a distinctive platform for innovation in inclusive global governance. From global health to environmental sustainability, we examine how science can help advance peace, equity, and shared futures in a disrupted world. 

Panelists: 

  • Sepo Hachigonta, Director of Partnerships, National Research Foundation, South Africa 
  • Susie Kitchens, International Strategy and Science Diplomacy, Imperial College London
  • Yacob Mulugetta, Professor of Energy and Development Policy, University College London
  • Charlotte Watts, Executive Director, Solutions, Wellcome Trust
  • Ian Wiggins, Director of International Affairs, the Royal Society

Moderator: Karen Lips, Deputy Director General, IIASA

10:45 - Networking Break

11:00 - Session 2: Human Wellbeing in the Anthropocene

Health is not just about healthcare. This session addresses how human, animal, and environmental health are interlinked—through the lens of “One Health.” With partners like the Wellcome Trust, and building on IIASA’s systems science, we explore strategies for tackling health inequalities, emerging zoonotic threats, and the climate-health nexus. UK stakeholders will gain insight into integrated approaches to resilience, especially in under-resourced communities, where effective intervention can yield outsized benefits. 

Panelists: 

  • Josephine Borghi, Research Group Leader and Principal Research Scholar, IIASA 
  • Felipe Colón-González, Technology Lead, Data for Science and Health Programme, Wellcome Trust 
  • Sir Andrew Haines, Professor of environmental change and public health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 
  • Karen Lips, Deputy Director General, IIASA 

Moderator: Sepo Hachigonta, Director of Partnerships, National Research Foundation, South Africa 

12:15 - Networking Lunch

13:15 - Session 3: Planetary Crisis and Overshoot Management

As the likelihood of exceeding 1.5°C grows, the global conversation must shift from prevention alone to preparation and management. This session tackles the emerging science and policy strategies around climate overshoot: What are the physical, societal, and economic risks of temporarily breaching temperature thresholds? What governance, adaptation, and carbon removal pathways are viable—and just? Drawing on IIASA’s systems modelling expertise and UK leadership in climate science and policy, the discussion will explore overshoot scenarios, with perspectives ranging from the built environment to global equity and intergenerational risk. 

Panelists: 

  • Tim Lenton, Professor of Climate Change, Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter   
  • Keywan Riahi, Director, Energy, Climate, and Environment Program, IIASA 
  • Joeri Rogelj, Director of Research, Imperial College London 
  • Lord Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, Chair, Global School of Sustainability, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, LSE
  • TBC

Moderator: John Schellnhuber, Director General, IIASA 

14:30 - Session 4: Unconventional Climate-Neutral Energy

Could nuclear fusion finally deliver on its promise of clean, abundant energy? And what role can small modular reactors play in the UK's path to net zero? This session brings together science, policy, and technology frontiers to critically assess the prospects, risks, and readiness of nuclear innovations. It will also explore how IIASA’s integrated assessment models and global scenarios could provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating nuclear energy's role alongside renewables, helping decision-makers navigate a secure, sustainable, and equitable energy transition. 

Panelists: 

Moderator: TBC

 

15:45 - Networking Break

16:00 - Session 5: The Hi-Tech Way to Sustainability

From machine learning to quantum computing, the pace of technological advancement is extraordinary. But for these tools to truly serve sustainability goals, they must connect with the “no-tech” realities of people, places, and policies. This session explores how frontier technologies can be applied to real-world sustainability challenges—from climate modelling to resource management, especially in contexts where infrastructure and data may be limited. Drawing on IIASA’s expertise in systems science and the UK’s innovation landscape, the panel will examine how to bridge the gap between hi-tech solutions and on-the-ground impact. 

Register: https://iiasa.ac.at/events/sep-2025/science-in-action-five-global-challenges-one-shared-future

Panelists: 

  • Wei Liu, Deputy Director, Alibaba-NTU Global e-Sustainability CorpLab (ANGEL) and IIASA Guest Research Scholar
  • Anil Madhavapeddy, Professor of Planetary Computing, University of Cambridge 
  • Shruti Nath, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, University of Oxford
  • Alison Noble, Technikos Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford 

Moderator: Sir Andrew Hopper, Director CommonAI; Professor of Computer Technology, University of Cambridge

17:15 - Keynote Speech

Speaker will be announced soon. 

17:45 - Closing Remarks

18:00 - Networking Reception