May 22, 2025
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Between Building 4 and 5, Auditorium 0215
Join us for this engaging session that highlights how BIOPOLIS is shaping the future of biodiversity research and delivering sustainable solutions for a rapidly changing world
The KAUST community is invited to attend a compelling talk titled “A Guided Tour to the BIOPOLIS World,” which will explore the mission, progress, and global impact of the BIOPOLIS project—Europe’s largest biodiversity research initiative.
BIOPOLIS is a private, non-profit association headquartered in Portugal, dedicated to advancing environmental biology, ecosystem research, and agrobiodiversity. Built on a decade of foundational work (2011–2020), the initiative addresses critical global challenges through cutting-edge research, international collaboration, and science-society integration. With a strategic partnership with the University of Montpellier, BIOPOLIS operates through three core research pillars: Evolution, Genetics & Genomics; Biodiversity, Ecology & Conservation; and Sustainability, Ecosystems & the Environment.
The talk will showcase BIOPOLIS’s transformative achievements, including the most advanced ancient DNA lab in Iberia, a leading biodiversity and climate change research hub, and conservation successes in sub-Saharan Africa through the TwinLabs and Gulf of Guinea programs. The initiative also supports innovative start-ups, such as CCTBON and O2SHARK, focusing on Atlantic biodiversity and marine ecosystems. Notably, BIOPOLIS is expanding its desert research efforts through the BIODESERTS group, with new ventures in Saudi Arabia.
About the Speaker
The event will be led by Professor Nuno Ferrand de Almeida, Director of BIOPOLIS and CIBIO, and Professor of Evolutionary and Conservation Biology at the University of Porto. A pioneering figure in biodiversity science, Professor Ferrand is the creator of the globally recognized TwinLab model and the BIODIV doctoral program, which trains future conservation leaders. He has authored over 150 scientific publications, spearheaded the creation of Porto’s new Museum of Natural History and Science, and received numerous accolades, including France’s prestigious Légion d’Honneur in 2023.