University of Sheffield Sustainability Symposium 2025

Join us for The University of Sheffield annual Sustainability Symposium, led by the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures and South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre.

Ticket registration is now closed. If you missed the deadline but would like to attend, please contact Adam Nash (a.nash@sheffield.ac.uk).

Please note: For registrations submitted after 2 October, we will do our best to accommodate any special dietary or accessibility requirements, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet them.

Overview

Through panel discussions featuring academics, practitioners and activists from within and outside of the University, the event will take a broad approach to sustainability through diverse methodologies, practices and perspectives engaged in climate and the environment.

Exploring how systemic change comes through true interdisciplinarity and the creation of community, we will discuss differing approaches to the production and dissemination of knowledge and perspectives on influencing policy and the public.

Sessions will cover topics such as; data and storytelling, system and behaviour change, and the multiple spaces and contexts in which research and practice engaged in climate and the environment can operate.

Full programme 

9:30 Coffee & registration

09:50 Symposium welcome message

10:00 - 11:05 Panel 1: System Change or Behaviour Change?

Speakers

Stephen Allen - Lecturer in Organisation Studies (UoS) 

Joshua Forstenzer - Senior Lecturer in Philosophy (UoS) 

Thomas Webb - Professor of Psychology (UoS)

Chair

Harriet Baird - Lecturer in Psychology (UoS)

11:10 - 12:00 Keynote Speaker 

Jon Alexander - Founder of the New Citizens Project and Author of “Citizens: Why The Key To Fixing Everything Is All Of Us”

12:00 - 13:00 Lunch, Exhibition & Networking

(includes information desk for prospective PhD applicants to the Sustainability Leaders Training Programme starting January 2026)

13:00 - 14:05 Panel 2: Why data isn’t enough to drive change.

Speakers

Isabelle Doucet - Professor of Theory and History of Architecture (UoS)

Dan Olner - Data scientist, Geospatial Analyst and YPERN Research Fellow (UoS)

Jeanine Griffin - Curator and Researcher, Curator of Wild Eye (Invisible Dust)

Chair

Joanna Gavins - Professor of English Language and Literature and Institutional Research Practice Lead (UoS)

14:10 - 15:10 Panel 3: If you don’t feel uncomfortable, you’re not doing it right.

Speakers

Abi Perrin - Science, Climate & Nature Communicator

Harun Morrison - Associate Artist with Greenpeace UK.

Emma Woods - Founder of Flourish Economics

Chair  

Richard Sulley - Senior Research Fellow in Sustainability Policy (GCSF)

15:10 - 15:20 Thanks and closing remarks

Who Can Attend?

The event is free and open to The University of Sheffield students and staff as well as specially invited guests.

Please Note:
By attending the event, you could be included in film or photography being collected by the University. Please inform a member of staff at the event or the photographer/ filmmaker if you do not wish your image to be taken. The content being collected may be used in University print and digital media productions. It could be shared with other organisations who we work with in the promotion of the University.

Sustainable refreshments

Refreshments will be provided throughout the day, we are dedicated to making our events as sustainable as possible and therefore working with our suppliers to use food with a low carbon footprint whenever we can. All food served at the Symposium will be vegetarian and vegan.