The programme committee has planned both keynote speakers and a PAERI panel including prominent experts in the field.
Keynote speaker
Tony Lockett is currently Head of Unit for Communication at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. Prior to that, he was Head of Unit for Communication at the European Research Council Executive Agency. At the ERC, Tony had the opportunity to work with some of Europe’s top scientists. He was responsible for new initiatives on science journalism and public engagement with science. He also hosted the ‘Frontiers of Research’ podcast series. Tony is a former EU Fellow at the University of Washington, and a member of the Advisory Board of the European Parliament’s Science Media Hub.
Invited speakers
Conference panel
The conference panel will explore science communication from three complementary angles: its practitioners, the role of writing, and the evolving relationship with public research institutions. Through presentations and a moderated discussion, panelists will reflect on what defines “quality” in today’s communication landscape, before opening the conversation to the audience. Be ready to be challenged, inspired, and engaged in rethinking how science is communicated today.
Maria Hagardt works at the Swedish Research Council’s International Secretariat, where she focuses on European research policy and public engagement. With long-standing experience in EU research programmes and in strengthening dialogue between science and society, she also leads the Falling Walls Engage Hub Sweden.
Liliann Fischer leads the Insights Programme at Wissenschaft im Dialog in Germany, where she works to bridge science communication research and practice. She also holds a PhD in science communication research. Her research in the past has focused on the professional identities of science communicators and she is dedicated to promoting quality and reflection in professional science communication.
Michele Catanzaro is a journalist and lecturer in science journalism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, with a background in physics and two decades of experience writing for outlets such as Nature, Science, and El Periódico. His award-winning work spans books, documentaries, and the PerCientEx project on excellence in science journalism. In 2023, he was Nature-Marsilius Invited Professor at the University of Heidelberg.
Other invited speakers
Wiebke Denkena is an expert for data analysis and visualisation in the investigative team at Greenpeace Germany.
