Speaking

Melissa has contributed as a keynote speaker, panelist, panel chair and/or workshop host at more than a hundred leading international conferences, seminars, festivals, awards ceremonies, product launches, and other corporate, academic, and public gatherings worldwide. Her specialist fields of expertise are planetary and biofutures inc. biodesign, bioscience, bioengineering, biotechnology, and biourbansim; emerging material, information, and production systems and their applications in science, industry, and society at large; ecological design, and urban and peri-urban resilience to challenges including natural hazards, climate change, biodiversity loss, resource shortages, and risk mitigation more generally; complexity and systems theory; sustainable innovation and enterprise; and environmental, social, and corporate governance. Her experience encompassing physical, virtual, and hybrid events both public and private, and to audiences wide-ranging in their demographics and size, she makes every presentation she delivers bespoke to the brief to hand. Select examples of her past speaking engagements are listed below and titles of select talks are listed here.


Speaker, Green Careers Week, University of Salford

Keynote, FAB conclave, Mumbai

Keynote, Masterclass Series, Gower College Swansea

Keynote, GLP UK, Magna Park, Corby

Keynote, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London

Keynote, Making Scotland’s Future, Edinburgh

Keynote, SNS2030 - Vision 2030, Norwich

Speaker, 5x15 and Rathbones Earth Convention

Keynote, Design Council, London

Fireside chat, Akin Gump, London

Keynote, Home Expo, LuxExpo, Luxembourg

Keynote, Deloitte, launch event, London

Keynote, Innovation for Business conference, Truro

Keynote, Bathroom Manufacturers Association conference, Chester

Keynote, London College of Communications, London

Keynote, Alumni Lecture Series, University of Greenwich, Hanoi

Keynote, Fladgate conference, Royal College of General Practitioners, London

Moderator, va-Q-tec event, National Maritime Museum, London

Speaker, Rebooting STEM: New Era, New Curriculum conference

Keynote, Lessons in Lockdown, University of Greenwich

Speaker, Global Research & Innovation in Plastics Sustainability conference

Keynote, New World New Ideas series, City of Greater Dandenong

Keynote, The Invisible Pollutant webinar, Suez group

Keynote, Back to Nature day, Sherborne Girls, Dorset

Keynote, Cityx: The Connected Places Business Expo, London

Keynote, Canadian Institute of Planners national conference, Ottawa

Speaker, UCEM Centenary event, The Crystal, London

Keynote, ECETOC Board & Committee Annual Dinner, Brussels

Keynote, Toyota Motors Europe, Brussels

Keynote, Questival, Quantum Black, Ocea Island

Keynote, Understanding Risk Balkans Conference, Belgrade

Speaker, 5x15 session at Wilderness Festival, Oxfordshire

Keynote, 5x15 at Monument Masterclass, The Monument, London

Panel Chair, Friday Late, V&A Museum, London

Speaker, Exploring the Spaces of Tomorrow, London Design Festival

Speaker, Women Leadership Conference, Cluj-Napoca

Speaker, ADAPTr / BioSalon, London

Keynote, Interface, Manchester

Keynote, Sheppard Robson, Manchester

Speaker, Architecture Conference & Expo, Cluj-Napoca

Speaker/Panel Chair, London Design Biennale

Speaker, Vision London: The Future of the Built Environment

Speaker, BioChanges, Royal College of Art, London

Speaker, Edinburgh International Science Festival

Speaker, WILD: Renaturing the City, London

Keynote, BioEngineering Congress, Izmir

Speaker, Festival of the Future City, Bristol

Speaker, CIO Information Symposium, London

Speaker, Science Museum Lates, London

Speaker, Clerkenwell Design Week, London

Panelist, Longitude Prize talk, Science Museum, London

Speaker, TEDxLSE, London School of Economics

Keynote, Aurajet Global Launch, The Shard, London

Keynote, Unilever, The Pitch, London

Panelist, Oxford Climate Forum, University of Oxford

Keynote, Ravensbourne, Greenwich Peninsula, London

Panelist, Festival of Ideas, University of Cambridge

Speaker, in-store talk series, Apple, Chicago

Keynote, Ravensbourne, Greenwich Peninsula, London

Keynote, Sustainability Challenges, CIOB Centre, Coventry

Keynote, Inventing the Future, Royal Society, London

Keynote, Urban Morphogenesis, The Bartlett, London

Speaker, Unbox Unconference, National Inst' of Design, Ahmedabad

Keynote, The Future of Energy conference, Warwick

Speaker, Re:Work Cities Summit, London

Keynote, Homes: The Future of Housing, London

Keynote, Oslo Architecture Triennale, Norway

Keynote, Manchester International Festival

Keynote, Women's Social Leadership Awards, London

Keynote, Write the Future conference, Royal Society, London

Keynote, 2Degrees Live conference, London

Speaker, 4 Minute Warning, The Crystal, London

In Conversation with Neil deGrasse Tyson for StarTalk, New York

Keynote, Aegis Media Russia Autumn Session, Moscow

Keynote, Natures at Wilderness Festival, Oxfordshire

Speaker, The Future We Choose book launch, London

Keynote, The Future We Want: A New Paradigm For a Sustainable 2050, London

Keynote, Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona

Keynote, Sustainable Business in Practice conference, London

Speaker, Ecobuild seminars, London

Keynote, CIOB CPD lecture 'Future Design to 2050', Salford

Keynote, Tomorrow’s Natural Business conference, London

Keynote + Workshop host, World Congress on Sustainable Technologies, London

Keynote, Lux Magazine’s 'Lux Energy Club', London

Keynote, CRG Exchange Seminar, London

Keynote & Panel Chair, International Bionic Engineering Conference, Boston

Keynote, Forum for the Built Environment, Liverpool

Panelist, Hay-on-Earth, Hay Festival

Keynote, Lunchtime Lecture, NSG Group, Lathom Laboratories

Keynote Lecture, School of Art & Design, University of Salford

Speaker + Panelist, EcoBuild conference, London

Keynote + Panelist, Sci-Fi London Film Festival, London

Speaker + Panelist, European Future Energy Forum, London

Keynote + Workshop host, Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference

Keynote, InterACT Participatory Media Forum, Herefordshire

Keynote, Media Ecology & Post Industrial Production Conference, Salford

Keynote, Greengaged, Design Council, London Design Festival

Panel Chair, Smart City Futures conference, Salford

Keynote, b.Tween Interactive Media Forum, FACT, Liverpool

Keynote, Sustainable Design Network Annual Seminar, Loughborough

Speaker, UK Aware, Sustainability Expo, London

Speaker + Panelist, London Aware, London

Once again thank you a lot for your fantastic speech! Lots of positive feedback from our clients... the best speech of the evening, fascinating, perfectly presented - how do you manage to creative this positive atmosphere around you, it's just wonderful."

— Executive, Aegis Media

Melissa captured the audience’s imagination and opened their eyes and minds to futures possible.”

— Acceleration Through Innovation [ATI]

  • Footage of some past speaking assignments

  • Details on select speaking assignments