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]
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Footage of some past speaking assignments
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Details on select speaking assignments