Professor Chrysi Laspidou, recently participated in the Dresden Nexus Conference 2025 (DNC2025), held from April 8 to 10.

The event, hosted by the United Nations University UNU-FLORES, marked a celebration of 50 years of impact and brought together international experts to explore sustainability, resilience, and digitalization in the built environment.

As a member of the Scientific Committee and a recognized High-Level Contributor, Professor Laspidou played a central role in shaping the conference’s discussions. She actively participated in several high-impact sessions, reinforcing the importance of holistic, systems-based approaches to sustainability through the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus framework.

One of the highlights of her participation was the panel discussion titled “Defining the Nexus: How Language Shapes Real-World Implementation,” where she joined distinguished peers including: Dr. Giulio Pattanaro (REA, Brussels), Dr. Maria Vrachioli (TUM, Germany), Prof. Dr. Ali Rhouma (PRIMA, Spain), Prof. Dr. Daniel Karthe (UNU-FLORES), Mr. Zeeshan Tahir Virk (University of Oulu, Finland)

Another standout moment was the interactive workshop “Best Practices in WEF+ Nexus”, which featured real-world project insights, evaluation tools, and co-created recommendations for improving policy impact. During the session “Sustainability Inside Out – Challenges and Best Practices,” Professor Laspidou engaged in a dynamic dialogue, exploring strategies for implementing the WEF, Transport, and Health Nexus approach to enhance biodiversity resilience and promote climate neutrality across Europe.

Particularly noteworthy was the presentation of the JUNIPER model, a System Dynamics tool developed through collaboration between the University of Thessaly, ATHENA RC, and UNU-FLORES as part of the EU-funded BIONEXT project. This model visualizes interlinkages across Water, Energy, Food, Transport, Health, Biodiversity, and Climate in over 30 countries, offering a powerful example of translating science into actionable policy.

Professor Laspidou’s involvement in #DNC2025 once again highlighted her leadership in sustainability research and her dedication to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration for systemic environmental solutions. Her contributions continue to inspire stakeholders across sectors and borders to pursue resilient, inclusive, and evidence-based sustainability strategies.

Special thanks to the NEXUSNET COST Action for supporting this impactful participation.