On 22 June 2026 the Global Food Systems Interdisciplinary Research Centre held a one-day invitation symposium at the Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge. Across 3 panel sessions, Sustainable Food Systems, Resilient Food Systems, and Healthy Food Systems, researchers and experts from across the University of Cambridge presented their work. Alongside the talks, four groups of Early Career Researchers produced interdisciplinary posters highlighting the breadth of research across the food system.
The opening remarks were delivered by Prof. Bhaskar Vira, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability, University of Cambridge, who observed that “food systems sit at the intersection of poverty, justice and inequality”. “It is not a problem of inefficient science any longer,” he asserted, emphasising that food system challenges require “socially just” and “politically practical” approaches.
Acknowledging the robust research community and knowledge in Cambridge, he concluded with a series of calls-to-action: think boldly about transformation; recognise that integration is essential to progress; and collaborate to maximise impact.
Panel 1: Sustainable Food Systems
Panellists: Lindsay Hooper (Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership); Prof. Lynn Dicks (Department of Zoology); Prof. Laura Torrente Murciano (Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology); Dr Matthew Davies (Department of Archaeology).
Additional panellists: Prof. Jag Singh Srai (Institute for Manufacturing (Department of Engineering)); Emeritus Prof. Donald Broom (Department of Veterinary Medicine); Dr Nadia Radzman, Sainsbury Laboratory.
Chair: Prof. David Aldridge (Department of Zoology).
The first panel session considered Sustainable Food Systems and was chaired by Prof. David Aldridge. The session opened with a series of provocations from Lindsay Hooper on university engagement on food system sustainability. “Do we focus enough research, teaching and innovation on the greatest barriers to progress?” Hooper challenged. And are we effective enough at ensuring research is accessible to decision-makers and has real world impact? Finally: “Are we clear-eyed enough about the organised opposition to food system science (and elite universities)?”
The subsequent panellists then presented their research on food system sustainability. Prof. Dicks showcased two case studies on managing agricultural landscapes for food and biodiversity, speaking to the Global Biodiversity Framework. Next, Prof. Torrente Murciano discussed the role of green ammonia in a decarbonised society, offering an affordable and sustainable alternative to the conventional Haber Bosch process. Dr. Davies concluded the formal presentations with a case study on agronomic systems in Kenya. Using the Tot-Kolowa irrigation scheme as an example, Dr Davies argued that the development of modern irrigation systems should work with and enhance existing agronomic systems and knowledge rather than replace them. Otherwise, as the Tot-Kolowa case demonstrates, these projects can collapse, due to factors such as unviable infrastructure.
Panel 2: Resilient Food Systems
Panellists: Dr Belinda Clarke (AgriTechE); Prof. Jag Singh Srai (Institute for Manufacturing (Department of Engineering)); Prof. Shailaja Fennell (Department of Land Economy); Ms Annie Shelton (Department of Plant Sciences).
Additional panellists: Dr Joris Hoste (Faculty of Economics); Dr Yunan Xu (Centre of Development Studies); Prof. Dan Tucker (Department of Veterinary Medicine).
Chair: Dr Erik Mackie (Cambridge Zero).
Chaired by Dr Erik Mackie, this panel examined resilient food systems, showcasing work on building resilience in the UK, Africa, South Asia and the moon. Dr Belinda Clarke opened the session offering a series of provocations about the trade-offs and balances we face creating resilient food systems: balancing efficiency with redundancy; integrating local and global approaches and centring equity and availability over sustainability.
In his presentation, Prof. Singh Srai spoke on reconfiguring supply chains through technology and policy interventions. Using two case studies, on in the Punjab area and one in the city of Birmingham, UK, he demonstrated that systems and modelling approaches aimed at building resilience in agrifood systems. Next, Prof. Fennell spoke about place-based initiatives which enable local communities to create and maintain just and sustainable food systems through collaborative demonstration sites. Finally, Gates Cambridge PhD Scholar, Annie Shelton, spoke about space crop production and today’s space food system challenges.
Panel 3: Healthy Food Systems
Panellists: Nicola Buckley (Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy); Prof. Lucia Reisch (Judge Business School); Dr Marta Camacho (Department of Clinical Neurosciences); Dr Andrew Colnan (Department of Veterinary Medicine).
Additional panellists: Dr Carole Ibe (JR Biotek Foundation and Cambridge Global Challenges); Prof. Caroline Trotter (Professor of Global Health).
Chair: Dr Sarah Mounsey (MRC Epidemiology Unit).
The final panel session considered healthy food systems. In her opening, Nicola Buckley set forth her provocations for researchers, or “knowledge mobilisers” as Buckley called them, aiming for impact on healthy food systems. Three presentations then followed. Prof. Reisch began, discussing demand-side interventions for healthy food systems. “Food policy is not only about knowledge or preferences,” she noted. “It is about designing the contexts in which routines, incentives, social cues and defaults shape daily choices. It is also about designing supportive institutions (social norms) and settings (regulation, prices, access). Dr Camacho then spoke about her work on gut function and brain health, specifically the link between gut dysfunction and neurodegeneration, offering insights from a study on Parkinson’s Disease. The presentations concluded with Dr Colnan who discussed bovine tuberculosis; principally whether control (elimination) threatens or improves food security.
Interdisciplinary posters
After the third panel session concluded, four groups of Early Career Researchers gave a flash talk on the interdisciplinary posters that had been designed.
Congratulations to the winners of the best poster: "Consumers and Systems: why sustainable food choices require multi-level change” by Siggurdur Martinsson (Darwin College), Cecilia Shang (Land Economy), Joseph Crouch (CSaP) and Miriam Ramshaw (Psychology).
The future
The day's discussions closed with reflections on the future of the global food system from the Co-Chairs of the Global Food Systems IRC, Prof. Lynn Dicks and Prof. Jag Singh Srai, who urged the research community to engage with the challenges that the food systems pose and with the next phase that the GFS may have within the current University campaign.
Author Information
Rebecca Drewnicki
Communication, Global Food Systems IRC