Pathogens Project Conference

Geneva, Switzerland | April 19-20, 2023

The initiative on “Creating the Framework for Tomorrow’s Pathogen Research” will host a public meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on April 19-20, 2023. This public-facing conference will include taskforce members, policy leaders, journalists, scientists, and civic leaders, among others.

The conference will be a hybrid of private and public (live-streamed, recorded) workshops, with journalists from key international news organizations invited to cover the public event. It will produce a final summary report with recommendations, along with individually prepared papers focused on risk assessment and mitigation of high-risk pathogen research. Conference papers will be published in a special edition of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and made available on the Bulletin’s website.

Agenda

All times listed are in Central European Time (CET).

Livestream information coming soon.

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

  • 12-1:30 p.m.

    Opening lunch, Welcome, Setting the Scene

    • Rachel Bronson, President & CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 
    • David Relman, Thomas C. and Joan M. Merigan Professor in Medicine, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford University

  • 1:45-2:45 p.m.

    Biorisks in the future

    Where is the cutting edge of biological research on pathogens? What are key risks and controversial boundaries? What does the future hold? 

    • Clare Jolly, Professor of Virus Cell Biology at University College London  
    • W. Ian Lipkin, John Snow Professor of Epidemiology, Columbia University; Director, Global Alliance for Preventing Pandemics  
    • Volker Thiel, Director of Virology, Institute of Virology and Immunology in Bern and Muehlhauser  
    • Seema Lakdawala*, Associate Professor Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine
    • Moderator: Jesse Bloom, Professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute  

  • 2:45-3:45 p.m.

    Current global standard-setting and monitoring systems

    What tools and mechanisms does the international community currently have to address biological risks? How do these match up with future biorisks?  Where are the gaps and opportunities for the international community to cultivate a culture of safe, secure and responsible research? 

    • Samuel Bonti-Ankomah, Centre for Biosecurity, Public Health Agency of Canada, and International Experts Group of Biosafety and Biosecurity Regulators  
    • Sylvie Briand, Director of Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness, WHO  
    • Alex Demarsh, Senior Research Fellow, Blue Dot 
    • Adedeji Ebo, Director and Deputy to the High Representative, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs
    • Stephanie Norlock, Program Officer, International Federation of Biosafety Associations 
    • Moderator: Filippa Lentzos, Associate Professor in Science & International Security at Kings College London  

  • 4:00-5:00 p.m.

    Building capacity nationally and regionally

    • Anurag Agrawal, Dean, BioSciences & Health Research, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University
    • Nisreen AL-Hmoud, Director, Biosafety and Biosecurity Centre, Royal Scientific Society of Jordan
    • Thomas Kariuki*, Executive Director Science for Africa (SFA) Foundation
    • Moderator: David Heymann, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

  • 6:30-8:00 p.m.

    Dinner and Keynote

    • Introduction, David Kuhlman, Chairman of the Board, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 
    • Zeynep Tufekci, author, columnist The New York Times, contributor, The Atlantic

Thursday, April 20, 2023

  • 9:00-9:45 a.m.

    Welcome, A view from China

    • Introduction, Ravindra Gupta, Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the Cambridge Institute for Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Diseases
    • George Gao, Vice President, National Natural Science Foundation of China

  • 9:45-10:45 a.m.

    The range of risk on the horizon

    • Françoise Baylis, Distinguished Research Professor, Dalhousie University, Canada
    • Asha George, Executive Director, Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense 
    • Jens Kuhn, Principal, Tunnell Government Services 
    • Poh Lian Lim, Director of High-Level Isolation Unit, National Centre for Infectious Disease Singapore
    • Moderator, Suzet McKinney, Principal and Director of Life Sciences, Sterling Bay

  • 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

    Empirical studies tracking risks

    • Rocco Casagrande, Founder and Chair of the Board, Gryphon Scientific 
    • Gregory Koblentz, Associate professor and director of the Biodefense Graduate Program at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government
    • Weiwen Zhang, Distinguished Professor of Synthetic Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Tianjin University of China
    • Moderator: Sandra Lopez-Vergas, Senior Health Researcher and Chief, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Sciences 

  • 1:30-1:45 p.m.

    Framing the possibility and limits of government action

    • Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Sixth and first female president of the Republic of Mauritius 

  • 1:45-2:45 p.m.

    Roles and responsibilities for governments and international organizations

    • Gerald Parker, Associate Dean for Global One Health, Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University; Chair, National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity
    • Trevor Smith, Senior Program Manager, Biological & Chemical Security, UNSCR 1540 Implementation WMD Threat Reduction Program, Global Affairs Canada
    • Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientist, World Health Organization  
    • Moderator: Shahid Jameel, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Fellow and Principal Investigator, Project on ‘Public Health, Science and Technology in Muslim Societies’ at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies 

  • 2:45-3:45 p.m.

    Challenges in outbreak investigation and reporting

    • Katherine Eban, Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair 
    • Kai Kupferschmidt, Contributing Correspondent, Science  
    • Natasha Loder, Health Editor, The Economist 
    • Alison Snyder, Managing Editor, Axios 
    • Moderator: John Mecklin, Editor-in-chief, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

  • 4:00-5:00 p.m.

    Building capacity nationally and regionally

    • Anurag Agrawal, Dean, BioSciences & Health Research, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University
    • Nisreen AL-Hmoud, Director, Biosafety and Biosecurity Centre, Royal Scientific Society of Jordan
    • Thomas Kariuki*, Executive Director Science for Africa (SFA) Foundation
    • Moderator: David Heymann, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

  • 3:45-4:30 p.m.

    Closing Keynote

    • Marc Lipsitch, Professor of Epidemiology and founding Director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health 

  • 4:30-5:00 p.m.

    Concluding Remarks

    • Jesse Bloom, Professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
    • Filippa Lentzos, Associate Professor in Science & International Security at Kings College London

  • 5:00-6:00 p.m.

    Concluding Reception

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