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David Baulcombe is a plant molecular biologist with an interest in disease resistance. He and his group discovered small RNA and various protein components of an RNA silencing system that protects plants against viruses and affects patterns of plant gene expression. David’s work has been recognised by awards including the Gruber Genetics Prize (2014), the Balzan Prize (2012) (for epigenetics), the Wolf Prize for Agriculture (2010) the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (2008) and a Royal Medal (2006) of ºìÌÒÊÓƵ. He is an International Member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) (elected 2005) and was made a Knight Bachelor in 2009. Since 2007 he is Professor of Botany (Regius since 2012) (now Emeritus) in Cambridge, was a Royal Society Research Professor (2007–2022), and from 2024 until 2029 he is Biological Secretary of ºìÌÒÊÓƵ.

Simon is the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Entomological Society (RES) having joined in 2021. Before this he held senior and board-level roles in the Field Studies Council. Simon has worked in the life science and environmental sectors for over two decades and has an MRes in Ecology and Environmental Management. He has had extensive experience in the charity sector with particular strengths in strategy development and stakeholder engagement.

Simon has led the RES through a transformational period which has resulted in multiple successes across publishing, policy and public affairs, outreach and engagement and income diversification and growth. This was recognised at the Memcom Awards in 2025 with the RES winning the Best Professional Body/Learned Society Award.

Simon is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He is a trustee for the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom and is both a School Governor and trustee of a Multi Academy Trust. He lives with his family in Surrey and loves getting outdoors in his spare time.

Helen Jamet has 30 years of experience in malaria prevention, research and vector control product development. She joined the Gates Foundation (GF) in November 2018 after nearly 12 years in the Private Sector, where she held the role of Global Head of Research & Market Access. Helen started her career in Tanzania conducting field research in repellents and mosquito traps. She has always had a keen interest in working on capacity development to encourage young scientists to enter the field of entomology.

Helen is the Deputy Director, Research & Development in the Malaria Program Strategy team at GF, where she oversees all investments in Vector Control, Drugs, Diagnostics, Vaccines and Biologics. Helen is a member of the Infection Innovation Consortium Advisory Panel based in the UK and a Board Member of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria.

Professor Heather M Ferguson is an internationally recognised expert in public health entomology at the University of Glasgow. She is Professor of Medical Entomology and Disease Ecology within the School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, where her research focuses on the transmission, surveillance and control of mosquito-borne diseases, particularly malaria and other mosquito-borne infections.

Professor Ferguson’s work integrates field studies, laboratory experiments and modelling to understand the ecology and evolution of mosquito vectors, with the aim of identifying innovative strategies for disease control in endemic regions. She is involved in the development of new tools for vector surveillance and control with partner in Africa, South America and Asia, and leads studies on the emergence of vector-borne diseases in the United Kingdom from a One Health perspective. She has a longstanding research and training partnership with the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, where she serves as a visiting scientist.

She holds a BSc (Hons) from University of Toronto (BSc), and MSc from the University of British Columbia (MSc) and PhD from the University of Edinburgh. Professor Ferguson has served as co-chair of the World Health Organization’s Vector Control Advisory Group, and currently Chair’s the WHO’s Strategic Technical Advisory Group on Neglected Tropical Disease Diseases. She was elected as a Fellow of ºìÌÒÊÓƵ of Edinburgh in 2021.

Dr Andrew (Drew) Hammond is co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Biocentis, an Imperial College London spin-out building powerful, sustainable tools for the control of insect pest and vector species. A molecular biologist by training, he has spent over 15 years pioneering gene drive, and led the work behind the first gene drive system designed to suppress populations of the malaria mosquito — foundational technology now taken forward by the Target Malaria consortium.

At Biocentis, he leads a multidisciplinary team developing genetic control as a solution to some of the world's most harmful insects, with programmes spanning major disease vectors such as the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and agricultural pests including the spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii). His focus extends beyond how effective these technologies are once released to how readily they can be scaled, delivered and deployed in the real world at low cost.

His research has helped define the field, with landmark publications in Nature Biotechnology and recognition including the 2020 Biochemical Society Early Career Biochemist of the Year. He holds appointments at Imperial College London and Johns Hopkins University, and is a trusted voice on the ethics, regulation and biosafety of gene drive across the US, UK and EU.

Sarah Staedke is a Professor of Malaria & Global Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), based in Kenya at the KEMRI Centre for Global Health Research in Kisumu. A clinical epidemiologist with over 25 years of experience researching malaria in East Africa, she aims to generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice across diverse settings.

Professor Staedke studied medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern, completed clinical training in internal medicine at the University of Colorado and infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, and earned her PhD in global public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Her research focuses on P. falciparum malaria to understand how to prevent, treat and control malaria in Africa. She has led large-scale cluster-randomised trials evaluating novel vector control tools, including next-generation insecticide-treated nets, attractive targeted sugar baits, and spatial emanators, as well as chemoprevention strategies in school-aged children. Her broader interests cover malaria epidemiology and transmission, antimalarial and insecticide resistance, health systems strengthening, and implementation science. She currently leads the EDCTP3-funded LASER trial, evaluating long-acting spatial emanators/repellents versus indoor residual spraying for malaria control in western Kenya.

Prof Staedke has authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles. She is committed to building research capacity through hands-on mentorship and supervision of MSc and PhD students, and lectures on malaria epidemiology and clinical management for the DTM&H programmes at LSTM and LSHTM.

Professor Saskia A Hogenhout earned her BSc/MSc from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 1994 and her PhD from Wageningen University in 1999. She joined The Ohio State University as Assistant Professor in 1999 and was tenured to Associate Professor in 2005. In 2007, she moved her laboratory to the John Innes Centre, UK, and in 2013 became Honorary Professor at the University of East Anglia. She was elected EMBO Member in 2023 and Fellow of ºìÌÒÊÓƵ in 2024.

Professor Hogenhout leads a fundamental research programme at the interface of plant immunity, developmental biology and genomics, focused on understanding how microbial pathogens and insect pests manipulate plant processes to promote colonisation. Her work has generated important insights into plant–microbe–insect interactions and has direct relevance to crop resilience and sustainable agriculture.

She is President of the British Society for Plant Pathology and serves as a Trustee of GetGenome, a non-profit organisation that widens access to genomics technologies, training and education for early-career scientists. She is also an elected board member of the Plants for the Future European Technology Platform, which provides strategic direction and research and innovation recommendations for policymakers, funders, practitioners and innovators across agricultural value chains.

Professor Hogenhout has also translated research discoveries through collaborations with agrochemical and seed-breeding companies, helping to connect fundamental science with practical solutions for sustainable agriculture.

Jasper is an applied entomologist and is director of an independent integrated pest management consultancy in the south of the UK, developing sustainable pest management programs primarily for soft fruit and protected vegetable crops.

After completing his BSc in Wildlife Biology at the University of Newcastle in 2008 and his MSc in Entomology at Imperial College London in 2009, Jasper worked for 16 years as a senior consultant and technical manager at Koppert Biological Systems, a leading international company producing biological control products. Jasper held internal knowledge exchange roles such as UK country representative for the international soft fruit group and the international strawberry expert group. He was also closely involved in several key Koppert innovations, such as the development of the Natutec Drive, a tractor mounted system for applying biological control agents.

In 2024 Jasper was appointed special adviser to the R&D board of British Berry Growers, the industry body that represents 95% of all the UK’s commercial soft fruit growers.

Dr Alicia Showering is CEO and Co-founder of BugBiome, a AgTech start-up developing microbial insecticides for sustainable crop protection. BugBiome discovers naturally occurring microbes with insecticidal properties and develops them into biological alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides, helping protect some of the world’s most economically significant crops from pest damage.

Alicia previously completed her PhD at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, where her research focused on understanding human attractiveness to mosquitoes. Her work on microbe–insect interactions sparked an interest in using microbes and natural chemistry as alternatives to conventional insecticides. She co-founded BugBiome to apply this expertise to agricultural pest control.

At BugBiome, Alicia has led the development of a proprietary strain bank of microbes associated with plants and insects, alongside an insecticide discovery platform that uses insect behaviour to identify active compounds and organisms that conventional screening misses. The company is now developing microbial insecticides across three major groups of agriculturally relevant insects: Hemiptera, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, supported by industry partnerships and Innovate UK focused on bringing new microbial insecticides to market.

To date, Alicia has secured more than £3 million in blended financing to support BugBiome’s growth and product development. She is passionate about translating cutting-edge scientific research into practical solutions that support food security, reduce reliance on conventional pesticides and enable more resilient agricultural systems.

Her work sits at the intersection of entomology, microbiology and entrepreneurship, with a focus on bringing innovative biological technologies from the laboratory to the field.

Professor David Roy holds a joint position as a Principal Scientist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and Professor of Ecology within the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter.

Professor Roy’s research focusses on monitoring and assessment of biodiversity, particularly via citizen science approaches and novel technologies. He is the head of the Biological Records Centre which has provided a national focus in the UK for terrestrial and freshwater species recording for more than 65 years. He has worked on the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme for more than 25 years and has helped support butterfly monitoring approaches internationally.

In parallel, Professor Roy is integrating new technologies to help realise the huge potential of automated sensors, deep learning and computer vision to work alongside citizen science for more standardised monitoring of insects across the globe. He leads projects to develop capacity in using cameras for monitoring nocturnal insects across the tropics. He is focused on closing the knowledge gap for insects due to increasing global attention on their decline and the vital role they play all ecosystems (eg as pests, food for birds and mammals, recycling nutrients, pollinating crops), and as indicators of climate change impacts.

Professor Roy’s research has used long-term and large-scale datasets to understand the biodiversity impacts of environmental drivers such as urbanisation, invasive species, agriculture, habitat loss and climate change.

Yannick is an engineer who fell in love with insects many years ago. He is Professor of Evolutionary Genomics and Bioinformatics at Queen Mary University of London, a Programme Director at the UK's Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), and founder of the startup behind the Sensibee autonomous insect camera trap.

Yannick led the sequencing of the genome of the invasive red fire ant Solenopsis invicta, before discovering that a pair of "social chromosomes" determines whether colonies accept one or multiple queens. This is one of the clearest examples of complex social behaviour under the control of a discrete region of the genome. Alongside work on genetic constraints and evolutionary forces underpinning social behaviour in ants, Yannick has pioneered high-resolution approaches to measuring pollinator health. Approaches include reading gene-activity signatures in the brains of individual pollinators to rapidly detect subtle impacts of stressors such as pesticide exposure, and using population-sequencing to understand historical constraints and adaptive potential. Most recently, he built Sensibee, an AI-enabled autonomous camera trap to enable continous large-scale monitoring of wild insect populations.

At ARIA, Yannick leads the Engineering Ecosystem Resilience space, deploying £70m to develop precision tools to complement well-established nature stewardship and conservation approaches. His Accelerated Adaptation programme aims to help wild species overcome the environmental challenges they face. Yannick’s career reflects a consistent focus on translating technological advances into practical tools for biodiversity and environmental resilience.

Roma Gwynn is a biorational technology specialist. She has been working in this area for over 40 years initially as a research scientist, then working for industry and now is an independent specialist working globally. Her expertise is in facilitating the process of getting biorational/biopesticide technology into the hands of farmers by streamlining bio-discovery, product development, registration, efficacy testing and marketing and has been working with over 60 biorational companies.

For 25 years, Roma has been Director and Founder of Biorationale Limited, which has been involved in biopesticide registration and policy development in the EU, Africa, USA and Australasia. She was CRO for AgBioScout (part-time) and newly, is CRO (part-time) for Mycoverse. She has worked as an expert for OECD, the EU, COLEAP/COLEAD, EPPO and FAO/WHO.

Roma was the Vice-President of International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA) for six years and Editor of the BCPC Manual of Biocontrol Agents. Roma had held or still holds, board positions for a UK grower organisation (AHDB) bio-innovation companies (Biotelliga, NZ; Pherosyn, UK; BioSouth, NZ) and three scientific societies (SIP, IAPPS, AAB). Roma is also a partner of several research projects.

James is a business leader, entrepreneur and internationally recognised scientist, combining more than 25 years of scientific expertise with over 15 years of experience founding, scaling and commercialising technology ventures that deliver real-world impact.

A chemical ecologist and entomologist by training, he began his career at the University of Aberdeen before undertaking research at Rothamsted Research and later leading the Department of Disease Control at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. His work has focused on harnessing chemistry, insect olfaction, artificial intelligence and sensor technologies to develop innovative solutions that improve human, animal and plant health.

James has founded two pioneering companies that translate this science into commercial technologies, using odour to detect insect pests and infectious disease threats with global applications. He has extensive experience of building spin-outs, securing investment, developing strategic partnerships and growing innovation-led businesses.

He also founded the Global Vector Hub, an international collaboration advancing disease outbreak prediction and response, and is a BBC and ITV television presenter, committed to making science accessible, engaging and impactful.

A serial entrepreneur who has held senior sales, marketing and business development roles in both start-ups and multinational companies, Amy has a passion for bringing new technologies to market.

She was co-founder and marketing director of STNC Ltd, the first company in the world to put web browsers onto mobile phones, which was acquired by Microsoft. She was Non-Executive Director at Audio Analytic, the world leader in using AI to identify sounds, until its acquisition by Meta.

She now focuses on the commercialisation of university inventions, and in helping the next generation of entrepreneurs develop their skills through the i-Teams programme (www.iteamsonline.org). This has resulted in over 125 start-ups so far, which have raised over $600m in investment.

Amy is Co-Chair of the Cambridge Angels, Vice-Chair at the Eastern Learning Alliance, and a Trustee at the Cambridge Science Centre and at U-Maths.

Jon Williams is Head of Public and Governmental Affairs for BASF Agricultural Solutions UK and Ireland, where he leads engagement with government, regulators, policymakers and industry stakeholders on issues affecting the future of agriculture, food production and agricultural innovation.

With more than 25 years of experience across agricultural research, development, innovation and public affairs, Jon has held a range of technical, commercial and leadership roles throughout his career with BASF. This includes four years based in Germany, where he was part of the European leadership team responsible for digital agriculture, data strategy and R&D operations across Europe.

Today, Jon works at the intersection of science, policy and farming, helping to shape discussions on agricultural productivity, food security, sustainability, crop protection, plant breeding innovation and the regulatory frameworks that support modern agriculture. He regularly represents BASF in industry forums, trade associations, parliamentary engagement and stakeholder discussions, bringing together perspectives from government, academia, industry and farming.

Passionate about the future of UK agriculture, Jon advocates for science-based policy and innovation-led solutions that enable farmers to produce food sustainably while addressing environmental and societal challenges.