Annual Scientific Meeting 2025
FBA’s ASM is on Wednesday 25 June at Nottingham Trent University.
This conference-style event will include keynotes from Steve Ormerod (Cardiff University), Michelle Jackson (University of Oxford), Dave Tickner (WWF-UK) and Julia Martin-Ortega (University of Leeds).
The ASM will additionally showcase the research and practice of other FBA members including staff, early career scientists and fellows.
The FBA Annual Scientific Meeting is an in-person only event at Nottingham Trent University’s Clifton Campus on Wednesday 25 June 2025.
“We have a tremendous array of speakers from a diversity of backgrounds including early career researchers and senior academics. Speakers will be focusing on a variety of topics and issues facing freshwaters and I am sure questions, discussions and poster sessions will be inspiring, thought-provoking and lively!”
– Simon Johnson, FBA Executive Director
ASM 2025 Registration
The ASM is priced to cover the costs of the meeting and includes hot and cold drinks and snacks during the reception and afternoon break, and a buffet lunch.
FBA members rate £65
FBA student /early career member rate £32.50
Non-member rate £120
Non-member (student) rate £55
Bursaries
Through the Richard Chadd Fund, we are able to offer a number of bursaries to enable student and early career FBA members to attend the ASM.
To apply, please send (1) a personal statement explaining your motivation for applying, how you will participate, what you hope to achieve through attendance and how much you are applying for (with cost breakdown) (<500 words); (2) a career / research summary (<500 words) to Simon Johnson, FBA Executive Director:
Applications should be submitted by Friday 4th April
Applicants will be notified by email by Friday 18th April
The bursary panel will comprise members of the ASM Organising Committee
FBA Early Career Member Network (ECMN)
FBA wish to improve the support we give to early-career researchers and practitioners.
We are also seeking new members to join FBA and the ECMN and are delighted to announce ECN annual membership rate of £20 (discounted from £41) that includes a number of benefits, including a 50% discount rate to attend the FBA Annual Scientific Meeting 2025.
We are also planning an Early Career Member event at Nottingham Trent University on June 26th the day after our Annual Scientific Meeting.
This free event will be a great opportunity to:
Network with your peers, FBA fellows and external organisations
Share and received feedback on your research and conservation work
Help shape the future development of the network and training / career development opportunities
Annual Scientific Meeting 2025
Agenda
9:30 Registration, hot and cold drinks and snacks
Session 1
9:50 Welcome to the meeting – Simon Johnson (FBA) & Rachel Stubbington (NTU)
10:00 Keynote: Steve Ormerod (Cardiff University)
The times, they are a-changing: unpicking 40 years of global change and freshwater ecosystems
10:30 Louise Lavictoire (FBA)
When two species collide: The impact of expanding beaver populations on the freshwater pearl mussel in Europe
10:45 Dania Albini (Essex University)
Aquatic environments in a fast-changing climate
11:00 Carl Sayer (University College London)
Restoring ghost ponds – the most successful form of freshwater restoration known?
11:15 Sophie Cowling (FBA)
Two years of the Big Windermere Survey: how citizen science can drive freshwater insights and stewardship
11:30 Amritha Nair (University of Worcester)
Mapping stress in submerged aquatic vegetation using advanced remote sensing techniques
11:45 Laurence Carvalho (Norwegian Institute for Water Research)
The FutureLakes project: transforming lake restoration in Europe
12:00 <5-min flash-talk poster pitches:
Helen Greaves (University College London)
Whitewashing, greenwashing; groundtruthing, greentruthing
12:15 Buffet lunch with hot and cold drinks, and poster viewing
Session 2
13:15 Keynote: Michelle Jackson (University of Oxford)
Hot waters and dirty currents: The impacts of warming and sewage on rivers
13:45 Taylor Butler-Eldridge (University of Exeter)
Booms, dooms & blooms: outdoor swimming and environmental health at Windermere
14:00 Iwan Jones (Queen Mary University of London)
Pink salmon invasion of the North Atlantic
14:15 Savannah Worne (Loughborough University)
Stable isotope evaluation of sewage management on algal blooms: a case study at Rutland Water Nature Reserve
14:30 Andrew Johnson (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)
New insights from statistics on what drives macroinvertebrate biodiversity and how such methods could revitalise the Water Framework Directive
14:45 Charlie Patel (Loughborough University)
Landscape value of sediment ponds for aquatic macroinvertebrate biodiversity
15:00 Break with hot and cold drinks and more snacks
Session 3
15:30 Keynote: Dave Tickner (WWF-UK)
Freshwater biology: what’s the big idea?
16:00 Keynote: Julia Martin-Ortega (University of Leeds)
Riverkin: remaking vital connections with rivers
16:30 Discussion
Chairs: John Murray-Bligh (Environment Agency) & Louise Lavictoire (FBA)
Topics:
The future of freshwater science and practice
Feedback to inform future FBA ASM meetings
Opportunities for collaborative research
17:00 Close
Post-meeting knees-up
18:00 – The Canalhouse, 48–52 Canal Street, Nottingham NG1 7EH
Come and buy the organizers a drink in an iconic pub (which has a canal in it)
The FBA Annual Scientific Meeting 2025 is taking place at Nottingham Trent University’s Clifton Campus
