SETAC YES Meeting in York Inspires the Next Generation of Environmental Scientists
Micha Wehrli, Nahum Ashfield, Isabel Navarro Law, Fabio Chen
From 11–15 August, the University of York, UK, hosted the SETAC 13 Young Environmental Scientists Meeting, welcoming around 120 participants from more than 20 countries. This vibrant mix of participants enabled not only the exchange of varied research methodologies, environmental problem-solving techniques and results, but it also fueled worldwide collaboration and connection.
Throughout the meeting, three captivating keynote lectures provided valuable perspectives on this year’s central theme, “Students under Pressure.” Each speaker approached the topic through a deeply personal lens. Laura Carter, University of Leeds, reflected on the numerous challenges faced by early-career scientists, all while maintaining job security and mental health. Liz Collinson, Corteva Agriscience, stressed that career paths are rarely linear and encouraged us to remain open to opportunities. Sabine Apitz, SEA Environmental Decisions Ltd and SETAC Europe Immediate Past President, shared her journey as one of the only women in a male-dominated field and highlighted the importance of student-led conferences in building connections and collaborations.
In addition to inspiring keynotes, attendees also had the chance to engage in four workshops: Helen Goulding, Quercus Training Ltd, sharpened presentation skills; Emma Rand, University of York, guided an RStudio workshop; Drew Szabo, University of York, focused on non-target screening; and Liz Hart, Hart Environmental, took participants through a real-world remediation case study, using an “escape room” approach to build a conceptual site model and explore how it informs risk assessment and sustainable design. All workshops received strong positive feedback and were widely recommended by participants, with more than 80 percent of attendees rating the workshops as highly valuable in the post-meeting survey.
Over the course of 9 sessions, participants shared 111 contributions through posters and platform presentations, reflecting the breadth of research within SETAC, with topics ranging from analytical challenges to science-to-policy regulation. Among the many impressive contributions, a few stood out for their exceptional quality and impact. The organizers were happy to award Mihai-Ovidiu Degeratu, ETH Zürich, with the prize for best platform presentation and Charley Clayton, University of York, for best poster presentation. Both were recognized for their excellent work with a commemorative ghost figure from the Yorkshire Ghost Merchants as a symbol of their achievement.
After a packed first day of science, attendees enjoyed a pub quiz at Brew York, making new connections and networking with peers in a casual environment, whilst bonding over street food trivia on York, pop music and city skylines. The second night of the conference turned up the energy with a student party, where attendees enjoyed an evening of music and dancing at a riverside bar. These two events sparked so many new friendships that the conference wrapped up with an impromptu get-together by the River Ouse. We hope the connections made here will continue throughout the attendees’ ecotox journeys and well into the future! The survey results confirmed the success, with all attendees agreeing that the atmosphere at the social events was friendly and welcoming.
The success of this meeting was made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors. Their contributions helped fund travel grants, which enabled students from different regions to attend, share their work, and connect with the SETAC student community, an opportunity that might otherwise have been out of reach. We sincerely thank SETAC, Eawag, BASF, MERA, RSC, GRADE of Goethe University, ECORISC, Corteva Agriscience, Syngenta, Hart Environmental and the University of York for their commitment to supporting the next generation of scientists and the wider community.
Furthermore, this conference would not have been possible without the relentless effort of the Local Organizing Committee, the SAC members, and the Scientific Committee, who dedicated the past one and a half years to making it a reality. A special thanks goes to Kelly Derom and Rebecca Bundschuh from the SETAC office. Without their support, none of this would have been possible.
Most of all, we thank the students who made their way to York to attend the YES meeting. Your curiosity, energy and research were at the heart of what made this year’s event truly special. We also hope this experience inspired some of you to engage in voluntary work as these events live through you.
Finally, as we look ahead, we’re excited to keep the tradition of the YES meeting alive, continuing as a student-led conference that fosters peer-to-peer discussions, collaboration and lasting friendships, both professional and beyond. While the next YES meeting will be hosted by the SETAC North America Students from 4–7 August 2026 at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina, planning for the Europe edition in 2027 is also already underway. We can’t wait to welcome both familiar and new faces at the next meetings.
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