Talks

Melissa gives lectures, provocations, and speeches on wide-ranging aspects of innovation at the edge.

Select examples of some of the topics of her past talks are listed below:

‘Panarchistic Architecture: Exploring not how we might solve the problem of living with wildfire, but applying how flora and fauna already have’. FAB conclave, Mumbai

‘When I grow up: from daydreams to day jobs’, Swansea Gower College, Online

‘Wood for the trees: navigating complexity through increasing uncertainty’. GLP UK, Corby

‘Making the Future: Building an agile ecosystem of manufacturing innovation’, Making Scotland’s Future conference, Edinburgh

‘Breaking Boundaries: creating connectivity in a disconnected world’, SNS2023 - Vision 2030 Annual Dinner and Expo, EEEGR, Norwich

‘Building Resilience to Wildfires’, The Earth Convention - the Four Elements: Fire, 5x15, Online

‘Biofutures: Back to the original design source’. Design Council, Online

‘Fireside chat with Melissa Sterry’. Akin Gump, London

 ‘Working with Nature: Designing beyond human boundaries’. LuxExpo, Luxembourg

 ‘Sustainable Futures: Working beyond silos, assumptions, and memes’. Deloitte, London

 ’BIOfutures: taking you to futures possible’, Innovation for Business conference, University of Plymouth, Truro

‘Ecological Futures: working with not against non-human systems’, Bathrooms Manufacturers Association conference, Chester

‘Systems & Futures: understanding complexity at the edge of human and non-human systems’, London College of Communications

‘Finding a Way: The Rise of Living Design, Technology, and Engineering’, University of Greenwich

‘Navigating the Interstitial: moving apace through complexity, uncertainty, and conflict’ Fladgate conference, Royal College of General Practitioners, London

‘Rebooting STEM: New Era, New Curriculum’, Professors without Borders conference, Online

 ‘STEAM+ED Surgery’, Alumni Showcase series, University of Greenwich, Online

 ‘Unseen: The Invisible Pollutant’, Global Research & Innovation in Plastics Sustainability conference, Online

‘Innovation Against All Odds’, New World | New Ideas talks series, City of Greater Dandenong.

‘Outlook to 2030: Invisible Risks and Opportunities’, Invisible Pollutants and Mining the Anthropocene roundtable, Suez group/SOENECS

‘Women in STEM’, International Women in Engineering Day panel session, University of Salford

‘Nature 360: Back to our Nature Future, Sherborne Girls ‘Back to Nature’ day, Dorset

‘Human Dot to Non-Human Dot: Connecting Human Places to Abiotic and Biotic Systemic Spaces’, Future Cities Catapult, The Future of Connected Places Business Expo, London

[Re]Generation[s]: Once in Many Lifetimes Opportunities', Canadian Institute of Planners, Centenary conference, Ottawa

‘Places Beyond: Future Cities Past, Present, and Possible’, UCEM Centenary conf., The Crystal, London

‘Through a Landscape Looking Glass: Journey’s through Time and Space’, European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals, Brussels

‘Brave New Biological World: Where Human and Non-Human Systems Meet’, Toyota Motors Europe, Brussels

‘Dot to Dot: From Amulet to Artificial Intelligence’, Quantum Black Questible Festival, Ocea Island

‘At the interface: Where Planetary and Human Systems Meet’, Understanding Risk Conference, Belgrade

‘Wildfire in the Wilderness: Wildfire, Ecology, and Us’, Wilderness Festival, Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire

‘Nature in the City’, Monument Masterclass curated by 5x15, The Monument, London

'Biome Shock! Anthropogenic vs. Ecological Intelligence’, Intelligent Spaces curated by Space 10, London Design Festival

‘Education at the Edge’, Women Leadership Conference, Cluj-Napoca

‘Biome Shock! Ecological Intelligence’, BioSalon at Abmika P3, University of Westminster, London

 ‘Bioaesthetics: Biology’s Visual Narrative’, Interface, NW showroom, Manchester

‘BioFutures: Building with Biology’, Sheppard Robson, NW HQ, Manchester

‘Bioarchitectural Futures: Biology as model, metaphor and medium in architecture’, Architecture Conference & Expo, Cluj-Napoca

‘Biotopia: Towards a Biological Ideal’, London Design Biennale, Somerset House, London

‘Biodesigned Building Futures: Biology as model, metaphor, and medium in our cities’, Vision London: Future of the Built Environment, Olympia, London

‘The Nature of Resilience: Biomimetic Built Environments’, BioChanges, Royal College of Art, London

‘Building Biotopia: An Ecologically Smart City’. Edinburgh International Science Festival

‘Anthropogenic meets Animal Architecture’, WILD: Renaturing the City, University of the Arts, London

‘Building Brighter Futures with Biomimetics’, VII. BioEngineering Congress, Izmir

‘Nature Rich Cities’, ‘What Happened to Utopian Cities?’ and 'Bionic City: how would nature design a city?’ Festival of Future Cities, Bristol

‘Innovative Thinking’, Ministry of Defence CIO Information Symposium, London

'Social Architectures: Learning from the Lessons of the Past’, Clerkenwell Design Week, London

‘Biological & Social Networks in Cities’, TEDxLSE, London School of Economics

‘Design Futures’, Aurajet Global Launch, Methven, The Shard, London

‘Manufacturing Futures’, Unilever, The Pitch, London

'Designing Biologically Informed Systems: Biomimetic, Biotechnological and Biomorphic Design Solutions’, Ravensbourne, Greenwich Peninsula, London

’Bionic City: where science meets fiction’, Festival of Ideas, University of Cambridge

‘A City for All Scenarios: Building for the Brief Unknown’, Sustainability Challenges, CIOB, Coventry University

‘Bionic City: Inventing the Future’, Inventing the Future, Royal Society, London

'Biocities’, Urban Morphogenesis Lab, The Bartlett, University College London

'Our Post-Industrial Energy Future’, The Future of Energy conference, University of Warwick

‘Beyond Material Boundaries’, Re:Work Cities Summit, Tobacco Dock, London

'Self-repairing cities: when retrofit becomes redundant’, Homes: The Future of Housing conference, London

'Future of Comfort: Innovating Comfort’, Oslo Architecture Triennale, Norway

'DIY City: Post-Industrial Urban Futures’, Biospheric Foundation, Manchester International Festival

'The Bionic City of the Future’, Write the Future conference, Royal Society, London

‘Raising Energy Performance’, 2Degrees Live conference, London

‘The Science of Things: ICSTEM, Big Data Big Science’, The Drum’s 4 Minute Warning, The Crystal, London 

‘2020: A Brand Odyssey: The Brands of the Future’, Ageis Media Russia’s Autumn Session, The Ritz, Moscow

'Bionic City’, Ignition: The Future of Digital conference, Time Warner Building, New York

'Nature's R&D Laboratory’, Natures at Wilderness Festival, Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire

‘Solutions Found in Nature’, The Future We Choose book launch, London

‘2012 - 2050 [building the new paradigm]’, The Future We Want: A New Paradigm conference, London

'Building a Bionic City: The Place Where Science Fiction Becomes Science Fact’, IAAC, Barcelona

‘Horizon Scanning: What’s Coming Next?’ Sustainable Business in Practice conference, London

'The Bionic City: Built Environments that embrace a volatile new world order’, Ecobuild, Excel, London

'Building a Bionic City: Future Sci Fact or Sci-Fiction?’, CIOB lecture 'Future Design to 2050', Think Lab, University of Salford

'In it Together [learning from nature]’, Tomorrow’s Natural Business conference, London

'Building from Nature's Blueprint: how to harness the potential of 3.8 billion years of research and development’ World Congress on Sustainable Technologies, London

‘Tripping the Light Fantastic’, Lux magazine / Lutron Energy Club launch, London

'Tomorrow's World: A Journey to 2050’, CRG Exchange Seminar, London

'The Bionic City: A model for the resilient metropolis of the future’, International Bionic Engineering Conference, Boston

'Future City Scenarios: how sustainability is shaping our future urban habitats’, Breakfast Lecture, Forum for the Built Environment, Mayor’s Office, Liverpool 

'The Bionic City: How Would Nature Design a City?’, Lunchtime Lecture, NSG Group, Lathom Labs

'Journey to 2050: How Sustainability is Shaping our Future World’, Visiting Fellow Lecture, School of Art & Design, University of Salford

'Building a Bionic Future’, EcoBuild, Excel, London

'Bionic City: building our future cities’, Sci-Fi London Film Festival, London

 'The Bionic City: ExoStructural Solutions for Building’, European Future Energy Forum, London

'Biomimicry for the Built Environment’, Postgraduate Annual Research Conference, Salford

‘Media Monopoloy vs. Media Democracy’, InterACT Participatory Media Forum, Herefordshire

‘Putting the’ We’ in Web’, Media Ecology & Post-Industrial Production conference, Salford

‘Biomimicry in Design: Sourcing Sustainable Design Solutions in the 21st Century’, Greengaged at the Design Council, London Design Festival

 ‘Sustainable Digital Futures’, b.Tween Interactive Media Forum, FACT, Liverpool

‘Knowledge & Learning in a Rapidly Changing World’, Smart City Futures, The Lowry, Salford

‘Building Tomorrow’s World: The Emerging Principles of 21st Century Design’, Sustainable Design Network Annual Seminar, Loughborough

‘Sustainable Futures’, UK Aware Sustainability Expo / London Aware, London