A day of talks on cutting-edge issues in science from experts in diverse fields, this year featuring globally renowned environmentalist Al Gore, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel, and Queensland University of Technology’s own David Dale.
The annual Frontiers Forum takes a multi-disciplinary approach to accelerating science-based solutions for ‘the most critical challenge of our time: enabling every person, in every corner of the world, to live a healthy and prosperous life on a healthy, thriving planet’, state the event’s organisers, open-access scientific publishers Frontiers.
This prestigious invitation-only event brings together globally renowned scientists, policymakers and entrepreneurs to showcase and discuss ground-breaking developments for extending healthy human lifespans, producing food more sustainably, providing clean, ‘green’ energy, mitigating or reversing the negative effects of climate change, and preserving biodiversity.
The aim of every Frontiers Forum, the organisers state, is ‘to spark powerful collaborations that transform data-driven insights and cutting-edge technologies into urgently needed solutions – faster’.
This year, under the theme ‘Solutions for healthy lives on a healthy planet, a line-up of visionary speakers from diverse fields will address the Forum in a succession of talks and panels.
Topics to be covered include new ways to eradicate disease, create better crops, develop safe and clean energy sources, remove CO2 from the atmosphere, protect biodiversity and more, using existing knowledge and technologies, demonstrating the power of data – and reminding us that ‘science has the solutions to enable every person on Earth to live a healthy life on a healthy planet’.
The lineup
Speakers and topics already confirmed for 2020 include:
- Solving the climate crisis: Al Gore, former US Vice President
- Reason, science, humanism & progress: Steven Pinker, Harvard University
- The future of research and innovation: Mariya Gabriel, European Commission
- Getting to the guts of health and disease: Karen Nelson. J. Craig Venter Institute
- Harnessing artificial photosynthesis, Daniel G. Nocera, Harvard University
- Rebuilding ecological infrastructure: Kongjian Yu, Peking University
- Using big history to inform the future: David Christian, Macquarie University
- Big ecology: Thomas Crowther, ETH Zürich
- Removing carbon from the air: Jennifer Wilcox, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Sequencing all complex life: Harris Lewin, University of California, Davis
- Creating better crops: James Dale, Queensland University of Technology
- Beyond 2020: Kamila Markram. Frontiers
For more information about the 2020 speakers, click here.
To see who’s been invited to attend this year’s Forum, click here.
When and where
Frontiers Forum 2020 will take place on 16 May. The venue for this year’s event is the Hotel Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, in Montreux, Switzerland.
Watch previous years’ forum highlights
Frontiers Forum 2019: Science Unlimited
Frontiers Forum 2018: Research & Innovation in 2030
See some of the 2019 Forum’s most inspirational speakers, talking on topics as diverse as advanced aerial imaging, using AI for innovation, and the rise of the personal genome.
More information
Stay tuned: we’ll publish highlights of this year’s Forum after the event.
For further information, visit the event website.