Plenary Speaker – Professor Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso

Plenary Speaker – Tessa Burch-Smith

Cultivate: Meet our Summer Studentship Cohort

Chair: TBC
Speakers: Phoebe Allen, Nalo Magar, Tinotenda Matemera

Meet the students from the third year of our Summer Studentship Programme!
Join us to hear directly from these emerging talents about their experiences
and insights gained over the summer. Discover the impact of the
programme and celebrate the achievements of the next generation of plant
scientists.

Celebrate: Meet our Research Excellence Awardees

Chair: TBC
Speakers: Ousmane Dao, Sibongile Zimba

Meet this year’s award winners of the Research Excellence Award!
Learn more about their contributions to the plant sciences from the beginning of their careers to date. Including their most recent experiences at the conferences they attended.

Breakout Sessions

Workshop: Building your ‘Brand’ as a Scientist   

Chair: Kathryn De Abreu 

Speakers: TBC 

Cultivate: Inclusive Academic and Professional Growth 

Social media is an often-overlooked tool for academic career development, opening doors to collaboration, invitations, and opportunity. Yet early-career Black and minoritised scientists frequently face added barriers around visibility and belonging in scientific spaces. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore practical skills for building an authentic, effective social media presence, including profile-building, audience engagement, collaboration-building, and translating online visibility into real opportunities. 

Workshop: Working beyond academia, different routes  

Chair: John Baison  

Speakers: TBC 

Academic careers are just one path among many. This workshop guides participants through the varied landscape of professional opportunities beyond the university setting. From industry to policy, entrepreneurship to NGOs, learn how to identify transferable skills, build relevant networks, and confidently pivot into fulfilling careers. 

Workshop: Leading authentically at every career stage: as a Black scientist 

Chair: Crispus Mbaluto 

Speakers: Bernice Waweru, Charlene Dambire, Sibongile Zimba

Unlock your leadership potential in science! This interactive workshop will help ECRs thrive in collaborative and interdisciplinary environments by developing essential leadership skills. Through self-reflection, discussion, and practical exercises, participants will explore their unique leadership styles, learn how to adapt their approach to different contexts, and create a personal leadership action plan. Leave with greater confidence, clear development goals, and practical strategies to strengthen your impact within research teams and the wider plant science community. 

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