10-Year Anniversary Symposium | Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award
Celebrating a decade of impact of one of the most prestigious environmental prizes in the world for innovators under 40.
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UCLA Luskin Conference Center
Centennial Ballroom
Join UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability for a public symposium marking the 10th anniversary of the Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award.
The Symposium brings together past Pritzker Award winners and finalists, UCLA faculty, students, and cross-sector partners for substantive dialogue on the defining environmental challenges of our time.
A preview of the day’s program is below. Additional panelists and moderators to be confirmed; indicated times are approximate and subject to change.
Each panel discussion will include an audience question-and-answer session. Lunch will be provided.
Program to begin at 10 a.m.
- Welcome remarks by Alex Hall, Director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
- Framing remarks and table setting by Marta A. Segura, MPH; Center Director, UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions, Fielding School of Public Health; Former Chief Heat Officer, City of Los Angeles
Panel 1 | Conservation as resilience in the face of a changing climate
Scheduled start: 11 a.m.
A discussion about conservation as resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Moderated by NPR’s Science Desk Correspondent Nathan Rott.
Featuring:
- 2023 Pritzker Prize Winner Iroro Tanshi, Director of Research Programs and Co-founder of Small Mammal Conservation Organization (SMACON)
- Professor Elsa Ordway, Co-director of the Congo Basin Institute and of the Center for Tropical Research
- Restoration Ecologist Andy Kleinhesselink, Managing Director of UCLA’s Sage Hill
Lunch
Scheduled start: 12 p.m.
Lunch will be provided.
Panel 2 | Energy transition and economic development from a global perspective
Scheduled start: 1 p.m.
A look at the energy transition and economic development from a global perspective.
Moderated by Los Angeles Times Climate and Energy Reporter Blanca Begert.
Featuring:
- 2022 Pritzker Prize Winner Dysmus Kisilu, Founder of Solar Freeze
- Professor William Boyd, Faculty Co-Director of the UCLA Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
- Sebastián Solarte-Caicedo, Fulbright Scholar and PhD Candidate at the IoES
Panel 3 | A conversation with 2026’s Pritzker Prize finalists
Scheduled start: 2:30 p.m.
A conversation with 2026’s Pritzker Prize finalists.
Moderated by Nurit Katz, UCLA Chief Sustainability Officer
Featuring:
- Zuzana Buřivalová, Principal Investigator of the Sound Forest Lab and Professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Doris Njagi, Founder of Forest Restored
- Suzanne Pierre, Founder and Executive Director of Critical Ecology Lab
Hosted Reception
Scheduled start: 4:00 p.m.
This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from, and engage in dialogue with, some of the world’s most compelling environmental minds at a critical moment for the planet.
RSVP today to secure your spot.
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