keynote speakers

Keynote Speakers in the AnaEE Science Conference 2026

Ecosystem Science For a Resilient Future

Session 1: Ecosystem Resilience in a Changing World (link)

Title: Ecosystem Resilience in a Changing World

This talk will briefly introduce some key concepts related to ecosystem resilience and will illustrate on selected examples how ecosystem experiments have advanced our understanding of the mechanisms underlying drought resilience. The talk will end with some broader conclusions and recommendations highlighting the potential and limitations of enhancing ecosystem resilience in a changing world.

Prof. Michael Bahn
University of Innsbruck, Austria

Michael Bahn is a professor at the Department of Ecology. He investigates how global changes affect plant-, soil- and ecosystem processes, with a particular focus on the carbon cycle, greenhouse gas fluxes, plant-soil interactions and ecosystem responses to extreme climatic events.

Session 2: Sustainable Agroecology and Soil-Plant Systems (link)

Title: How sustainable agroecology invites us to renew research programs

This talk will introduce some key concepts and characteristics related to agroecology and will show examples of new types of research on agroecosystems. It will end with larger propositions to renew the research on agroecosystems to support the agroecological transition required.

Prof. Marie-Hélène Jeuffroy
INRAE, France

Marie-Hélène Jeuffroy is a renowned agronomist and research director at INRAE in France, specializing in sustainable crop systems, organic farming, and agroecology. Her work on reducing synthetic inputs in agriculture has made her a leading voice in Europe’s transition toward a more environmentally friendly farming practices.

Session 3: Forest Ecosystems under Pressure (link)

Title: Some major trends in experimental and modelling research on forests under pressure.

The emergence of large-scale biodiversity function experiments, as well as the breakthroughs of AI emulators in forest modeling.

Prof. Bart Muys
KU Leuven, Belgium

Bart Muys is a Balgian professor of forest ecology and forest management. His research focuses on the ecosystem functioning of tree diversity, the ecology of forest restoration and the evaluation of sustainability in forests and bioenergy systems.

Session 4: Experimental Approaches to Global Change Ecology (link)

Title: Challenges in conceptualizing climate in the ecotron research.

Ecotrons provide a unique possibility to simulate climate with unprecedented accuracy. Yet, this wealth of possibilities constitute many hidden challenges are important to be aware of.

Prof. Nadia Soudzilovskaia
Hasselt University, Belgium

Dr. Nadia Soudzilovskaia is an ecologist at Hasselt University, specializing in ecosystem functioning, plant-soil interactions, and the impacts of global change on biodiversity. Her research integrates field experiments and modeling to address pressing environmental challenges, contributing to both academic and applied ecological science.

Session 5: Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation (link)

Title: From Understanding Decisions to Supporting Change: Social and Behavioural Sciences in Agroecological Research Infrastructures

More coming soon…

Dr Lívia Madureira
Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD)

Associate professor at the UTAD, senior researcher and currently scientific coordinator of CETRAD (Centre of Transdisciplinary Development Studies). She got her PhD in environmental and land economics, in 2003, with a research that has combined different non-market economic valuation methods to value rural landscape attributes aiming at contributing to innovative solutions for sustainable territorial development by incorporating the public preferences in land use policy design and evaluation.

Session 6: Aquatic-terrestrial and coastal ecosystem interactions (link)

Title: Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) from seagrass meadows -their roles in ecosystem functioning.

BVOCs are specialized metabolites, mainly produced by plants, well known for their ecophsysiological roles in terrestrial ecosystems. By contrast, coastal environments, especially seagrass meadows, received far less attention on that subject. Therefore, it is crucial to deepen our knowledge on BVOCs from these highly valuable ecosystems which could help us to better understand their resistance in a context of climate change.

Dr. Amélie Saunier
IMBE, France

Researching volatile and non-volatile specialised metabolites production in marine and terrestrial plants in front of environmental perturbations (abiotic and biotic). Her ambition is to better understand the ecophysiological roles of specialized metabolites and how they can impact the ecosystems functioning.

CANCELLED: Session 7: Digital Ecosystems – Data Integration and Modeling (link)

Title: Making Data FAIR: Semantic Approaches for Data Management in Environmental Research Infrastructures. This presentation explores the application of FAIR principles — with particular attention to semantic aspects — as key enablers for better data management. It examines how semantic resources such as controlled vocabularies, ontologies, and well-defined data formats can support data interoperability, integration, and reuse within Environmental Research Infrastructures. Examples from CNR and eLTER RI illustrate practical approaches and challenges in implementing FAIR and semantic-aware data workflows.

Dr. Alessandro Oggioni
Italian National Research Council, Italy

Dr. Alessandro Oggioni is a researcher at CNR, focusing on microbial ecology, soil health, and the role of microorganisms in sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration. His innovative approaches to understanding microbial communities have advanced both fundamental science and practical applications in agroecosystems.