The Future of Resilient Cities

Select keynotes available in 2025 from Top 20 global sustainability speaker Dr. Melissa Sterry.

Globally recognised as a pioneering leader in sustainability, biomimetics, and innovation, Dr. Melissa Sterry brings unparalleled expertise to the future of resilient urban environments. With over 25 years of experience at the intersection of science, technology, and design, she has developed several seminal concepts which use nature’s strategies to combat extreme environmental challenges. As the founder of a series of world-first bio-innovation led initatives and companies, including Bioratorium® and Bionic City® among others, she has led cutting-edge research, inspired a global network of urban innovators, and worked with many leading figures in the field.

A chartered scientist with a PhD in wildfire-resilient design, Dr. Sterry’s influence spans corporate, governmental, and academic realms, where she advises on strategies for sustainable, adaptive cities and bio-inspired design, manufacturing, business, and commerce. Her award-winning work has been published widely and featured by media outlets including the BBC and Forbes. Voted one of the Top 20 most influential speakers on sustainability at board-level worldwide, and one of the world’s most high profile futures and foresight experts, Dr. Sterry shares transformative insights on how biomimicry, systems thinking, and regenerative design can build urban spaces that thrive amidst complexity and change.

Melissa has extensive experience of delivering keynotes to diverse audiences of all scales and across wide-ranging regions. A professional speaker for more than two decades, her wider experience including presenting, hosting, chairing, facilitating, and moderating in-person, online, and hybrid events, as well as working with film and television crews, live and pre-recorded radio and podcasts, and wide-ranginig experimental digital formats. Each presentation she gives is bespoke to the client, and she can be booked both directly or through several leading international agencies covering regions including United Kingdom, Schengen and wider Europe, Northern America, Oceania, Asia, and Africa.

Find select examples of talks Dr. Sterry offers below.

Urban intersection of nature and innovation

Harnessing Bio-Inspired Design for Sustainable Cities

This talk examines the transformative potential of bio-informed strategies in rethinking urban design, architecture, and infrastructure for a more sustainable future. Dr. Sterry, a leading expert in biomimetics, biodesign, and systems thinking, draws on her expansive research to illustrate how mimicking nature’s genius can futureproof cities and enhance their resilience in an era of climate uncertainty. Highlighting examples such as energy-efficient biomimetic building materials, living urban systems, and regenerative infrastructure inspired by ecosystems, she demonstrates how these innovations can address pressing challenges like resource scarcity, biodiversity loss, pollution, and extreme weather events.

Dr. Sterry also explores the broader implications of integrating bio-inspired solutions into urban planning, including improved human well-being, reduced ecological footprints, and enhanced capacity to adapt to environmental changes. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how to transform cities into sustainable, resilient ecosystems that harmonise human needs with the natural world while fostering long-term environmental balance and societal health.

Resilient by design

Nature-Inspired Strategies for Wildfires, Flooding, and Drought

This engaging talk delves into how biomimicry and ecological principles can be applied to create built environments resilient to major natural hazards. Dr. Sterry, a multi-award winning pioneer in biodesign and sustainable innovation, shares groundbreaking examples of how nature-inspired strategies can helpcommunities adapt to climate-related disasters. She illustrates how wildfire-resistant materials and structures, flood-adaptive urban planning, and drought-tolerant infrastructure can mitigate risks while improving sustainability.

Drawing on her own research, including several seminal concepts in nature-inspired urban hazard resilience, Dr. Sterry provides in-depth insights into how ecological systems thinking can guide the design of buildings and cities that not only protect communities but also foster ecological regeneration. This talk inspires and empowers architects, planners, policymakers, and developers to address the increasing frequency and severity of environmental challenges while supporting long-term sustainable development and protecting vulnerable ecosystems.

Bio-inspired cities

Harnessing Nature’s Genius to Transform Urban Living

From energy-efficient infrastructure to biodiversity-friendly urban spaces, this talk explores how cities can emulate natural ecosystems to thrive sustainably in an era of environmental and social challenges. Drawing on her expansive expertise in biomimetics, biodesign, and systems thinking, Dr. Sterry shares how nature’s strategies can inspire innovative approaches to architecture, urban planning, and engineering. Pioneering examples include biomimetic building materials, regenerative urban systems, and designs inspired by organisms that adapt to harsh environments.

Dr. Sterry demonstrates how these nature-inspired solutions can create cities that are not only energy-efficient but also resilient to climate change, promote biodiversity, and enhance quality of life. This talk inspires urban planners, architects, policymakers, and innovators to rethink cities as adaptive, living systems that work in harmony with nature while addressing the critical environmental and societal challenges of our time.

Living Urban Systems Design

Designing Built Environments That Work Like Ecosystems

In this fascinating talk, Dr. Sterry reveals how cities and buildings can function like ecosystems—regenerative, resilient, and symbiotic with their natural surroundings. Drawing on her extensive expertsie in biomimicry, biophilic design, and ecological systems thinking, she presents groundbreaking strategies for designing human habitats that restore rather than deplete the environment, and in the process benefit both people and the planet.

She also shares case studies of urban concepts that integrate nature into every level of design, offering inspiring visions as well as practical tools for urban planners, architects, and policymakers. By exploring the interplay between natural and human systems, attendees will gain insights into creating spaces that support human well-being while mitigating environmental challenges such as climate change and resource scarcity.

Designing for Urban Biodiversity

Creating Spaces That Support Life

Biodiversity is a vital but all too often overlooked component of urban design. In this compelling talk, Dr. Sterry showcases strategies for integrating biodiversity into human-centred design, helping cities become havens for both people and wildlife. Drawing from her award-winning expertise in ecological systems and sustainable innovation, she explains how residential housing, commercial developments, and even brownfield sites can be transformed into thriving habitats that support diverse species.

Dr. Sterry highlights pioneering approaches for embedding biodiversity into the heart of architecture, urban design, and landscape planning, drawing examples from both her own extensive research and that of peers worldwide. Attendees will learn how integrating biodiversity fosters essential ecosystem services, enhances resilience to climate change, and supports coexistence between human and non-human species. This talk empowers architects, developers, and policymakers to design cities that actively contribute to the health and vitality of natural ecosystems.

Future-Proofing Cities

Designing Future-fit Urban Environments

As cities face increasing environmental and societal pressures, how can they adapt to ensure long-term resilience? In this thought-provoking keynote, Dr. Sterry explores strategies for future-proofing urban environments against climate change, resource scarcity, pollution, and cultural, and economic shifts. Drawing on her expertise in sustainable innovation and ecological, and wider systems thinking, she outlines how cities can incorporate resilient infrastructure, adaptive utilities, and housing designed to withstand environmental extremes and sweeping societal change.

Using pioneering examples from both her own work in biomimicry and regenerative design and best-in-breed case studies worldwide, Dr. Sterry shows how nature-inspired solutions can help cities thrive amidst uncertainty. Attendees will discover actionable methods for integrating sustainability into urban planning and policy, including circular design systems, disaster-resilient infrastructure, and urban frameworks that foster social equity. This talk equips urban planners, architects, policymakers, and industry leaders with the insights needed to create cities that are robust, adaptive, and prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Find select examples of Dr. Sterry’s past clients here.