Catchup – Salon – Green Labs & Sustainable Science

A weekly webinar to discuss careers and research topics. These sessions combine livestreams, guest speakers and group online chat to exchange ideas, challenge, influence, inspire and educate. In this session we talk about Green Labs & Sustainable Science.

In this session we ask the question, ‘how can we reduce the environmental impact of our research without compromising scientific progress?’ As researchers, we generate incredible innovations, but that comes with a cost—energy consumption, waste, and resource use. Today, we’ll explore how we can transform our labs and our research into models of sustainability, discussing actionable steps, pioneering ideas, and the collective responsibility we hold in shaping the future of science. Let’s challenge assumptions, inspire change, and influence the next generation of greener science.

Speakers

Andrew Arnott is the Climate, Biodiversity and Sustainability Manager at The University of Edinburgh. Andrew was Projects Coordinator for the University’s sustainable laboratories programme, working since 2015 to make labs  more sustainable by increasing energy efficiency, reducing waste and improving the design of lab buildings. He now works on strategies, policies and large-scale practices to decarbonise the University and have a positive impact on biodiversity and ecosystems locally and globally.

Dr Ariana Gatt is a Senior Research Fellow at University College London. Ariana completed her PhD at King’s College London working on mitochondrial dysfunction in Drosophila and human postmortem tissue. She is now at UCL working closely with the Queen Square brain bank looking at changes in RNA-binding proteins in dementia brain tissue. In the lab she is also involved with the University’s work on implementing their Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF).

Programme

The format of the event is a 30 minute livestream where the speakers will each present their thoughts on this topic for 10 minutes each, the host will then ask questions and the livestream will end. The speakers will then join the online chat and interact with the audience, answering questions and giving those who attended a chance to share their thoughts on the topic.