About the lecture:Humans have introduced a huge array of novel chemical and material pollutants into the Earth system, and continue to do so at an ever-increasing scale.  Humanity’s pollution disrupts Earth system processes, and the stream of novel pollutants flowing into Earth’s environment poses a constant threat of new planetary-scale impacts.  This lecture provides a summary of nearly 15 years of evolution of ideas about how to confront risks and threats from planetary-scale pollution on Earth, and about a new initiative to extend those principles to protection of the moon, Mars and other celestial bodies where humans explore, visit, and may eventually colonize.About Matthew MacLeodMatthew MacLeod is Professor of Environmental Science at Stockholm University, Sweden, and Deputy Dean of Earth and Environmental Science.  He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and is currently Sweden’s “Designated Expert” on Persistent Organic Pollutants for the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Victoria (Canada), and Master’s and PHD degrees from Trent University (Canada). Prior to moving to Sweden in 2010 he was a post-doctoral researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA) (2002-04) and a Research Group Leader at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland (2004-10). Professor MacLeod uses mathematical models and data analysis to study the factors that control human and environmental exposure to environmental contaminants, and the links between the three dimensions of the “triple planetary crisis” of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss. The goal of his research is to build a quantitative understanding of humanity’s impacts on the Earth system, and to develop practical tools and guidance to support rational decision-making.The event is organized by DIAS Chair Zhanyun Wang

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About the lecture:The concert and lecture will present 300 years of musical history through compositionsfrom the vast and rich piano repertoire. Masterpieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven,Franz Liszt, and Claude Debussy will be performed and analysed to deepen both ourunderstanding and emotional perception of the music. Birch’s Astronomic Piano Pieces willtake the audience on a journey into space, thereby demonstrating a highly interesting, innovative,and unorthodox approach to music-making.All aspects of this remarkable instrument and its many possibilities will be explored — notonly the music itself, but also the piano’s technical development in relation to broader politicaland cultural movements throughout history.About the speaker:SVEN BIRCH was born in Denmark and studied piano at the DJM in Aarhus, where he graduated with a soloist diploma. Thanks to numerous scholarships, he was able to continue his studies in Vienna with Prof. Alexander Jenner. In addition, he attended masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Tatiana Nikolayeva, Conrad Hansen, John Lill, and Peter Feuchtwanger.As a sought-after pianist, Birch possesses an extensive repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary music. He is active as a soloist, chamber musician, accompanist, and composer, and has performed throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Among his major projects is the performance of the complete cycle of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas.Since 1992, Professor Sven Birch has been teaching at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz. From 1996 to 2004, he also taught at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.He is a member of the George Crumb Trio Linz and the Georgiadis-Birch flute and piano duo. He regularly conducts concerts and projects, and he serves as the conductor and artistic director of the ensemble Lézard aux Plumes in Linz.He is frequently invited to give masterclasses and workshops (Sibelius Academy Helsinki, Chopin Academy Warsaw, Royal Academy Manchester, as well as universities in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, Riga, Tallinn, Aarhus, Rome, Milan, and Seville) and has produced numerous CD, television, and radio recordings.The event is organized by Anne-Marie Mai & Andreas Birch

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About the lectureAging is often presented as one of the greatest scientific challenges of our time. Yet understanding why some individuals remain healthy well into old age while others develop disease requires insights from many disciplines, including genetics, epidemiology, medicine, statistics, demography, and the social sciences.In this lecture, Sara Hägg will explore how modern aging research has evolved from gerontology and geriatrics to understanding the biological processes that drive healthy aging. Drawing on examples from large population studies and molecular aging research, she will discuss how biological age can be measured, what these measures can and cannot tell us, and how they are shaping current efforts to improve healthspan.The lecture will also reflect on the opportunities and challenges of interdisciplinary research, highlighting how scientific breakthroughs often emerge at the intersection of fields and why collaboration is essential for addressing complex questions about aging, health, and longevity.About the speakerSara Hägg is Associate Professor of Molecular Epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet and an internationally recognized researcher in the biology of human aging. She leads a research group that investigates why people age differently and how genetic, molecular, environmental, and lifestyle factors shape trajectories of health and disease across the lifespan.Her research combines epidemiology, genetics, biostatistics, omics and bioinformatics to identify biomarkers of biological aging and to understand their relationship with age-related diseases, functional decline, and mortality. Using large population-based cohorts and advanced causal inference methods, she studies mechanisms of healthy aging and evaluates potential interventions aimed at extending healthspan rather than simply lifespan.Sara serves as Principal Investigator for several major national and international research projects funded by organizations including the Swedish Research Council and the U.S. National Institute on Aging. Her work has contributed to the development and evaluation of biological age measures that are increasingly used in research and precision medicine.Beyond academia, Sara is a highly sought-after science communicator and public speaker. She frequently appears in newspapers, television, radio, podcasts, and public debates, where she provides evidence-based perspectives on aging, longevity, and preventive health, helping bridge the gap between scientific discovery and public understanding.The event is organized by Moustapha Kassem

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Academic Workshop:Illness, Narrative, and the Politics of VulnerabilityReflections on professor Tore Rem's book, Tidligere frisk mann, Previously Healthy Man: A Story of Illness, 2025We warmly invite scholars, researchers, healthcare professionals, and graduate students to participate in a workshop devoted to the literary, cultural, and political dimensions of illness narratives, taking Tore Rem's remarkable book Previously Healthy Man: A Story of Illness as its point of departure. The book is written in Norwegian, but the workshop will take place in English, and the workshop is open to all interested participants, regardless of whether they have read the book. After collapsing during a football match in 2014, Rem was diagnosed with the rare autoimmune disease cardiac sarcoidosis, an experience that transformed him from a healthy and active citizen into what he describes as a member of "the realm of the sick." Through his account of living with uncertainty, intensive treatment, bodily change, and repeated encounters with mortality, Rem develops a powerful literary reflection on illness, vulnerability, care, and the meaning of being human. The workshop will explore questions such as:[list][*]How does serious illness reshape personal identity and self-understanding?[*]In what ways are illness and vulnerability social and political rather than merely individual conditions?[*]How can literature and reading contribute to medical practice and public discussions of health?[/list] Through interdisciplinary discussion, we aim to bring together perspectives from literary studies, medical humanities, narrative medicine, sociology, cultural studies, and healthcare practice.We look forward to an engaging exchange of ideas on one of the most fundamental yet often overlooked dimensions of human existence: our shared vulnerability. Tore Rem will open the workshop by a short introduction. Moderator: Professor Anne-Marie Mai Tore Rem is professor of English Literature at the University of Oslo and one of Norway’s most distinguished biographers and literary scholars. He is the author of acclaimed biographies of Jens Bjørneboe, King Olav V, and Knut Hamsun: Journey to Hitler. He is director of UiO:Democracy, the University of Oslo's interdisciplinary research initiative dedicated to the study of democracy, public discourse, citizenship, and democratic culture.

The future of food may be buried in the past Climate change is reshaping the conditions under which our food is grown. But long before the present crisis, ecosystems and species were already adapting to environmental disruption. On 16 December, DIAS Chair and internationally renowned DNA researcher Professor Eske Willerslev takes us into AEGIS: the ambitious new research initiative using ancient environmental DNA to understand how past ecosystems responded to change - and how those insights may help build more resilient crops and food systems for the future. Drawing on the project’s first research questions and findings, Willerslev will explore what sediments, genomes and deep environmental history can teach us about climate resilience, biodiversity and global food security. He will also reflect on the challenge of building a major new research centre across disciplines, methods and institutions. The event will be followed by a panel conversation with DIAS Chairs and an open discussion with the audience. About Eske Willerslev Professor Eske Willerslev is a world renowned evolutionary geneticist and pioneer in ancient DNA research. He is Director of the Centre for Ancient Environmental Genomics (CAEG) and leads the international AEGIS programme at the University of Copenhagen, while also serving as Professor at the University of Cambridge. His groundbreaking work has reshaped our understanding of human origins, past ecosystems, and how lessons from ancient DNA can help address future challenges related to climate, biodiversity, and food security. This event is organised by Sten Rynning, DIAS Director & Eske Willerslev, DIAS Chair *Registration: Please register here by 14 December 2026*