Keynote Speakers

Professor Felicia Wu

Michigan State University, USA

Bio: Felicia Wu is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Food Safety, Toxicology, and Risk Assessment at Michigan State University in the USA; and President of the Society for Risk Analysis. Recently, she was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer as a Commissioner of Agriculture for the state of Michigan, and named as one of ten University Distinguished Professors at MSU.

Dr. Wu works at the nexus of agriculture, food safety and nutrition, and public health to improve global human health outcomes. Currently she has nine extramural grants across the USA, Africa, and South Asia; with topics ranging from climate change to transgenic crops to reducing risks of mycotoxins, heavy metals, and pathogens in foods. Dr. Wu is a Member of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), an elected Fellow of the Society for Risk Analysis, and an invited member of the WHO Food-Based Dietary Guidelines Committee. Dr. Wu earned her PhD in Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, and AB and SM in Applied Mathematics/Medical Sciences at Harvard University.

Professor Michael Siegrist

ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Title: Romantic perception of nature and biased risk perceptions

Abstract: In Europe, the Romantic era had a major impact on our perception of nature. The literature and paintings of this era portrayed nature as mysterious and peaceful in contrast to cities and technology. The Romantic era was in stark contrast to the Enlightenment. We hypothesized that the Romantic perception of nature leads to a biased perception of natural hazards, and that the moral component of action is of particular importance above and beyond the mere efficacy of the action. We conducted a survey in Germany (N=531), a country where romanticism was very strong and still influences, for example, the perception of forests. The study shows that individuals with a Romantic worldview tend to perceive greater risks associated with climate change than those without such a view. Additionally, those with a Romantic view of nature are more likely to support measures aimed at reducing climate change risks, even if they are not effective. Finally, the study found a significantly stronger positive correlation between Romantic views of nature and risk perceptions of man-made compared with risk perception of natural hazards. The results suggest that ideas developed during the Romantic era continue to influence hazard perception in Germany. In conclusion, a Romantic view of nature may lead to biased hazard perceptions.

Bio: Michael Siegrist is a Professor for Consumer Behavior at the Institute for Environmental Decisions (IED), ETH Zurich, Switzerland. He studied psychology, economics and mass communication at the University of Zurich. He worked as a research assistant at the Psychology Department of the University of Zurich. In 1994 he wrote his dissertation at the University of Zurich. During 1997-1998 he worked as a Project Manager at the Swiss Association of Milk Producers, Department of Marketing Research, and during 1998-2000 he was a visiting researcher at Western Washington University, WA, USA.

Dr. Siegrist’s research focuses on risk perception and risk communication, on acceptance of new technologies, and consumer behavior in the food domain. He has published more than 350 peer reviewed articles. Dr. Siegrist is an area editor for the journal Risk Analysis and serves on the editorial boards of several journals. He has received several awards for his research and has been a highly cited award recipient for the past four years (Institute for Scientific Information, Clarivate).

Professor Sarah Bell

University of Melbourne

Bio: Professor Sarah Bell holds the position of City of Melbourne Chair in Urban Resilience and Innovation at the Melbourne Centre for Cities, University of Melbourne. She joined the university in 2021 following 16 years at University College London (UCL), where she was a Professor of Environmental Engineering and led the UCL Engineering Exchange.

Her research centers on fostering community engagement with infrastructure, with a particular emphasis on urban water systems. Using social science methodologies, she investigates the relationships between people, technology, and nature in urban environments, highlighting the importance of community-driven design and decision-making to advance urban sustainability and resilience.