Erin Rovalo, PhD

Erin is Head of Impact at the Biomimicry Institute, where she steers biomimicry toward real-world results in climate resilience, regenerative materials and the built environment.

Part of the movement since the inaugural Biomimicry Professional program (2008 to 2010), she has taught in Arizona State University's MSc Biomimicry since 2016 and held senior roles at Living Future and Biomimicry 3.8. She holds a PhD in Design Practice and is the author of iSites: Nature Journaling for Biomimicry.

Lilian van Daal

Product designer Lilian van Daal bridges the natural and the designed world. She experiments with new technologies and materials to closely mimic nature's structures, revealing more sustainable ways to make things.

Her work also brings nature back into our everyday spaces, because people who feel connected to the natural world are more likely to care for it.

Gonzalo Wartjes

Gonzalo is a Harvard alumnus, three-time founder, and Founder and CEO of PhysaFlow. His PhD research into how biological flow networks share resources and stay resilient led him to build an AI platform that runs a data centre's power, cooling, water and computing as one system, unlocking capacity without building more.

PhysaFlow has been selected for three Harvard venture programmes and the Biomimicry Institute's 2026 Ray of Hope Accelerator.

Alistair Daynes

Director of Learn Biomimicry and your host, Alistair will speak on How Nature-Inspired Innovation Works. It's also the title of his upcoming book, and you're hearing it here first.

Through real-world case studies, he'll show how biomimicry comes to life, from early sparks to the innovations we use every day. A Biomimicry Practitioner and co-founder of ReWild Africa, he has mentored more than 100 biomimics, entrepreneurs and startups.

Eric Chaves

Eric is the founder and COO of Terrament and the inventor behind its patents. A technical entrepreneur, he previously founded a company that reached 50 million users and brings 20 years of experience designing physical infrastructure, hardware and software.

Caitlin Wale

Caitlin is a South African civil engineer and founder of Kinjani, a climate innovation platform investing in science-driven solutions.

She leads SAILOR, the South African Innovation Lab for Ocean Climate Resilience, which brings coastal municipalities, water utilities and marine scientists together to advance ocean-based carbon removal. She has more than 13 years of experience across engineering, sustainability and climate investment.

Erin Miller

Erin is a microbiome scientist who's passionate about the development of microbial biotechnologies. Leading the SeedLabs environmental research division at Seed Health, her work advances microbial technologies for climate resilience, the bioeconomy, and planetary health. 

Eliot Graeff

CEO and co-founder of Asteria, Eliot is a life science engineer and holds a PhD in biomimetics. Passionate about understanding, teaching, and applying bio-inspiration, he coordinated the biomimetic methodology department at Ceebios until 2024 and served as a scientific advisory member of the European Nature4Nature program.

Jacques Chirazi

Through his work with the Biomimicry Institute, Jacques designed the Biomimicry Launchpad, and was instrumental in the creation of the Ray of Hope Accelerator. As a business adviser with a passion for understanding how nature can transform the corporate environment, Jacques brings biomimicry the next generation of sustainable entrepreneurs. He currently teaches at the University of California.

Joanne Rodriguez

Joanne is the founder & CEO of Mycocycle, which uses mushrooms to remove toxins from waste. Recognized for her innovation by Forbes Magazine, FastCompany, and the EPA she is shifting the paradigm on how we view waste: as a reusable resource, not a burden. She has advised on various projects, including lending her technical expertise to the US Green Building Council and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ariel Blumenberg

Ariel serves as Senior Electrical Engineer at PolyGone, where she develops systems for the automation of microplastics collection and removal.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Princeton University. There, she gained experience in bio-inspired robotics, with additional work in control systems, machine learning, and swarm robotics.

Her interdisciplinary background, coupled with her interest in marine and freshwater environments, contributes to her passion for creating robust and energy-efficient filter deployment systems to address microplastic pollution.

Dr. El Tayeb Bentria

El Tayeb Bentria is a researcher and innovator at the intersection of biomimicry, AI, and digital fabrication.

He explores how natural systems and mathematical patterns in nature can be translated into functional, printable prototypes, leveraging AI tools like ThinQa to accelerate design and innovation.

Karlijn Besse

Karlijn trained as a architect and industrial ecologist, working for the past years with her own research and design office Other Spheres on sustainability and speculative design projects and since 1.5 years as the Co-Founder of SeaSpark materials.

SeaSpark is a start-up that reimagines glitter in a way that is safe for both people and the planet. They develop 100% biodegradable, non-toxic glitter and shimmering materials using seaweed and other renewable ingredients... aka the shiny stuff we need in life.

Alex Bowen

Led by Alexandra Bowen, founder of the Biophilic Design Community on LinkedIn, explores the essential design concept of Biophilic Design.

At its core, this approach acknowledges the deep human requirement to live within and alongside natural systems. It moves architecture beyond mere "machine thinking" and into living systems thinking, creating built environments that satisfy our evolutionary hardwiring for nature while improving both human and environmental wellbeing.

Gina LaMotte

Gina LaMotte is a social entrepreneur and systems strategist whose work bridges nature’s intelligence and social change.

Today, Gina serves as Managing Director of Biomimicry for Social Innovation, where she works at the intersection of strategy, growth, and program development.

Her work supports leaders and organizations applying ecological intelligence to build resilient and regenerative communities capable of navigating complexity and change.

Rooted in a deep reverence for nature’s genius, Gina is designing initiatives and forging partnerships that inspire us to collectively reimagine what’s possible with nature as our mentor.

Jess Berliner

Jess is the Co-founder and Director of Product of Learn Biomimicry. 

Since 2019, she has led the development of all of their learning products & experiences, including short courses (1600+ learners), mentored programmes (170+ Practitioners and Educators), handbooks, and more. Working closely with her team, Jess has facilitated hundreds of life-defining and career-building biomimicry learning journeys.

 Jess’ diverse career spans working with corporates, non-profits, startups and everything in between, giving her the opportunity to understand that it is truly individuals – not businesses – who change the world.

Denise Hearn

Denise is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Long Now Foundation, an organization dedicated to inspiring long-term thinking to preserve possibilities for the future.

She is also an author, applied researcher, and advisor on economic policy and planetary-aligned governance.

She is a Fellow at the Berggruen Institute and co-author of The Big Fix: How Companies Capture Markets and Harm Canadians (2024), commissioned by McGill University, and of The Myth of Capitalism: Monopolies and the Death of Competition – named one of the Financial Times’ Best Books of 2018.

Denise’s writing has been translated into 12 languages and featured in publications globally.

Saskia van den Muijsenberg

Saskia is the co-founder and director of biomimicryNL and one of the first 20 people worldwide to earn an MSc in Biomimicry. With more than 30 years of experience in strategic innovation, change management, and community engagement, she helps organizations apply nature’s design strategies to create meaningful and sustainable solutions.