Two keynote lectures will complement the meeting, giving overview and insights into cutting-edge plant research and stimulating fruitful discussions.

Learning from nature to sustainably protect our crops now and in the future

Speaker:  Prof. Nicole van Dam

Scientific Director of the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ)

Professor van Dam is the Scientific Director of the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) and a professor at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute for Biodiversity. Before taking on her role at IGZ in 2022, she led the Molecular Interaction Ecology research group at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig. As an expert in chemical plant ecology, her research focuses on plant interactions with aboveground and belowground organisms, aiming to develop sustainable approaches for resilient agriculture.

In her talk, Professor van Dam will explore how plants have evolved intricate chemical and morphological defenses over millions of years, yet modern agricultural practices have inadvertently weakened these traits. As climate change intensifies pest pressures and synthetic pesticide use declines, she will discuss the urgent need to rethink breeding strategies, invest in research on plant resilience, and foster collaboration between scientists, breeders, policymakers, and the agricultural sector. Highlighting the complexity of agro-ecosystems, she will present a vision for sustainable crop production that is both scientifically grounded and economically viable in today’s global food system.

Photo: Jes Larsen

The Ancient Environmental Genomics Initiative for Sustainability (AEGIS)

Speaker:  Prof. Eske Willerslev

Director of the GeoGenetics Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK

Professor Eske Willerslev is a world-renowned evolutionary geneticist and director of the Centre for GeoGenetics at the University of Copenhagen. He holds a professorship at the Universities of Copenhagen  and Cambridge. Professor Willerslev pioneered the field of ancient environmental DNA (eDNA), using genetic material preserved in sediments to reconstruct past ecosystems and understand long-term environmental changes. His groundbreaking research has revealed how organisms adapted to past climate shifts, offering valuable insights for addressing modern challenges in agriculture and biodiversity conservation.

In his talk, Professor Willerslev will introduce the Ancient Environmental Genomics Initiative for Sustainability (AEGIS), a large-scale research project involving 18 institutions that aims to harness ancient genetic adaptations to improve food security in a changing climate. As global warming threatens agricultural resilience, he will discuss how unlocking genetic and organismal diversity from the past - retrieved through ancient eDNA - can offer innovative solutions to create more sustainable and adaptive cropping systems. By bridging ancient genomic research with modern agricultural science, AEGIS seeks to develop future food systems that are both productive and biodiverse, ensuring resilience in the face of environmental change.