Join us for the second dialogue with leading SES researchers and practitioners in our flagship quarterly Dialogue SESsions series. For this edition, we are honoured to have Frances Westley, Brian Walker and Terry Chapin reflect on how they first became interested in SES research, how SES research and practice developed and changed over the years, and what they see as the key emerging frontiers in the SES field.
SocSES Dialogue SESsion #2
🗓️ Wednesday, 4 February 2026
🕑 15:00 Pacific / 18:00 Eastern / [+1: 5 February 2026] 10:00 Australian EST
📍 Online (Zoom)
How to register for the event (SocSES membership required):
- Register to attend via the link in the announcement on the SocSES Community Platform (login required), or
- Register via the link in your invitation email (sent to all SocSES members)
More about the panellists:
Frances Westley
Frances Westley is a renowned scholar and consultant in the areas of social innovation, strategies for sustainable development, strategic change, visionary leadership and inter-organisational collaboration. She holds the J.W. McConnell Chair in social innovation at the University of Waterloo and established the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience (WISIR) at the University in 2009.
Brian Walker
Brian Walker is an ecologist specialising in the dynamics and resilience of social-ecological systems and one of the pioneers of resilience science. He is a former Chief of CSIRO’s Division of Wildlife and Ecology, and currently is an Honorary Research Fellow at CSIRO and an Honorary Professor at the Australian National University’s Fenner School of Environment & Society.
F. Stuart (Terry) Chapin III
Terry Chapin is an ecosystem ecologist and one of the foremost contributors to the concept of Earth Stewardship, and he has a wealth of experience in long-term ecological research and working with Indigenous and local communities. Terry is Professor Emeritus of Ecology at the Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and an Honorary Distinguished Professor at the Sustainable Places Research Institute, Cardiff University.
SocSES Dialogue SESsions
Our quarterly Dialogue SESsions bring together leading SES researchers and practitioners to reflect on and discuss a particular topic related to SES research and practice. During each 1-hour fireside chat-style SESsion, each panellist provides their reflections on the dialogue’s topic, before a moderated discussion amongst the panellists, followed by questions and comments from the audience.
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