Program — AMS Scientific Conference 2026
Connecting the Dots, Closing the Loops
Over three days, the conference explores how scientific knowledge can be connected across disciplines to support resilient, regenerative and just cities.
The program will be updated continuously as speakers and sessions are confirmed.
Interested in joining the conference?
Each conference day follows a similar structure:
- Opening remarks
- Two keynote lectures
- A panel discussion
- Lunch break
- Afternoon parallel sessions, workshops and paper presentations
- Networking drinks
Day-by-day overview
Day 1: Unexpected Connections: Which untapped wisdom do we not yet use to the fullest extent?
Keynote Speakers:
Anacláudia Rossbach (Executive Director of UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme))
An economist with more than 20 years of experience in housing, informal settlements and urban policy, Ms. Rossbach has been a driving force in shaping inclusive urban agendas around the world. She will link challenges and solutions in housing, energy, circularity, climate resilience, mobility, food, and digitalization across regions.
Panel Discussion: Exploring cross-disciplinary perspectives.
Panel members to be announced
Day 2: Closing the Loops: How to facilitate sustainability through circularity, energy- and nature-based solutions and benefit from transdisciplinary approaches by closing the wheel of science.
Keynote Speakers:
Prof. Dr. Catharina Bening (Group Leader for Circular Economy and Co-Lead at the Chair for Sustainability and Technology at ETH Zürich, and steering committee member of sus.lab)
Prof. Bening will explore how innovation and policy can support a regenerative future. She will share insights from her research across various industries, including packaging, retail, construction, textiles, and the bio-economy.
Panel Discussion: Implementation and scale-up.
Panel members to be announced
Day 3: Breaking the boundaries: How can we break boundaries between sciences and foster interaction within society to reinvent cities, also in places hit by natural disasters or wars?
Keynote Speakers:
Babette Porcelijn (Director Think Big Act Now)
Ms. Porcelijn, speaker, author, trainer, and founder of Think Big Act Now, will examine the hidden environmental impacts of consumption and societal systems, bringing a holistic, evidence-based perspective drawn from her bestselling books ‘De verborgen impact’ and ‘Het happy 2050 scenario’.
Panel Discussion: Societal impact and collaboration.
Panel members to be announced
Every day, the afternoon program will consist of parallel workshops, paper presentations, pitch & polish sessions, and special sessions. A detailed timetable will be published closer to the conference.
Interested in joining the conference?
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