Wildfire2026

The provisional Wildfire2026 programme is now available to view on the conference website! The programme includes the schedule of speaker sessions across both conference days, including presentation titles and speakers, as well as poster titles and authors. Delegates can also find keynote presentation summaries and speaker biographies, offering an early look at the range of perspectives, expertise and topics that will shape this year’s discussions. Through keynote presentations, expert sessions, panel discussions, posters and interactive workshops, Wildfire2026 will explore wildfire governance, habitat management, community preparedness, the wildland urban interface, infrastructure risk, fire behaviour modelling, decision-support tools and lessons from major incidents in the UK and overseas. Please note that the programme is provisional and may be amended without notice. Explore the programme on the #Wildfire2026 UK Wildfire Conference website today: programme.ukwildfireconferen…

The UK's biennial flagship wildfire event returns 10–11 November at Headingley Stadium, Leeds. This year's theme “New Perspectives, Shared Solutions” reflects the urgent need to adapt our approach to wildfire challenges, recognising that no single perspective can address the complexity of fire risk.

Evrim Bunn is a seasoned leader in disaster management, emergency response, and strategic communications. She serves as a Branch Chief at the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is a Senior Fellow at the University of California San Diego’s Societal Computing and Innovation Lab which is a World-renowned science and data institution leading the WIFIRE Program. Previously, she was Director of Strategic Engagements and Partnerships at the U.S. Fire Administration, where she advanced initiatives to strengthen community resilience and public safety. Bunn contributed to FEMA’s work on the 2023 Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission report and led FEMA’s national wildfire evacuation tabletop exercises, shaping the agency’s Wildfire Evacuation Guidance. Earlier in her career, she earned an Emmy Award for coverage of the 9/11 attacks. She holds a bachelor's degree in public Affairs from Marmara University in Istanbul and a master’s degree in Political Science from American University in Washington D.C. Her international journalism background and global perspective continue to inform her leadership in crisis management. See Evrim Bunn at #Wildfire2026: UK Wildfire Conference this November: ukwildfireconference.co.uk/a… See Evrim's presentation summary by signing up for our newsletter: ukwildfireconference.co.uk/#…

Nick Allenby is an operational officer and an On-Call Firefighter with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and a National Wildfire Tactical Advisor, with experience in major incident wildfire response, risk management and policy development. As a District Station Manager and Wildfire Lead within Service, he leads on wildfire strategy, operational preparedness and inter-agency collaboration across diverse rural and urban interface environments. Nick has contributed to the development of wildfire procedures, training and specialist capability, alongside supporting national guidance and best practice. He works closely with partners in land management, academia and emergency services, including involvement in research initiatives exploring the health and operational impacts of wildfires. His work combines frontline operational insight with evidence-based practice to improve resilience, safety and effectiveness in wildfire prevention and response. See Nick Allenby at #Wildfire2026: UK Wildfire Conference this November: ukwildfireconference.co.uk/a… Get access to Nick's presentation summary by signing up for our newsletter: ukwildfireconference.co.uk/#…

Seen the first 3 speakers? Don’t wait! Get instant access to all 5 Wildfire2026 keynotes and their presentation summaries by signing up for our newsletter today. Join the newsletter and be the first to hear about exclusive event announcements like this: ukwildfireconference.co.uk/#…

Dr. W. Matt Jolly is a Research Ecologist with the US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, where he explores the intricate relationships between vegetation dynamics, weather, and wildfire behaviour. As the science lead for the US National Fire Danger Rating System and head of the live fuel dynamics research team, his work integrates field and laboratory studies to significantly advance the understanding of live plant flammability. Dr. Jolly's work focuses not only on foundational science but also on translating this knowledge into action, accelerating and improving wildland fire decision-making through better tools that characterise spatial and temporal fire potential variations. His research offers critical insights into the fundamental drivers of live fuel flammability and demonstrates how new knowledge can be leveraged to improve global wildfire management. See Matt Jolly at #Wildfire2026: UK Wildfire Conference this November: ukwildfireconference.co.uk/a… Don't miss any event announcements by signing up for our newsletter: ukwildfireconference.co.uk/#…

#Wildfire2026: UK Wildfire Conference has received significant support from the UK Government – Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (@mhclg), highlighting the growing importance of wildfire as a major resilience issue for the UK. Read the full press release here: ukwildfireconference.co.uk/n…

Elsa Pastor is a Full Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). For more than 20 years, she has specialised in safety and risk analysis, with a strong focus on wildfire risk assessment in the wildland–urban interface (WUI). She has led numerous research and innovation projects in both the public and private sectors, developing methodologies for wildfire prevention, mitigation, and community preparedness. Dr. Pastor has coordinated several European projects funded by the European Commission’s DG-ECHO, including WUIVIEW (2019–2021), WUITIPS (2023–2025), and FIREPRIME (2024–2026). Her work has contributed to advancing wildfire resilience strategies and civil protection approaches across Europe. She has authored 70 peer-reviewed scientific papers, contributed to more than 100 international conferences, co-authored 10 specialised books, and supervised 10 doctoral theses, contributing significantly to research and education in fire safety and wildfire risk analysis. See Elsa at #Wildfire2026: UK Wildfire Conference this November. ukwildfireconference.co.uk/a… Don't miss any event announcements by signing up for our newsletter: ukwildfireconference.co.uk/#…

Matthew Jones is a physical geographer specialising in climate-wildfire interactions. His work examines how changing fire regimes affect society and the global carbon cycle, highlighting increasing fire extent and severity worldwide and improving representation of fire in climate models. He integrates field and modelling perspectives using machine learning to uncover patterns in large datasets and translate these into process-based insights for global applications. At UEA, Matt leads research on predicting and mitigating high-impact wildfires, co-leads the State of Wildfires Project, and contributes to the Global Carbon Project’s assessments of the global carbon budget. See Matt at #Wildfire2026 this November. ukwildfireconference.co.uk/a… Don't miss any event announcements by signing up for our newsletter: ukwildfireconference.co.uk/#…

The #Wildfire2026 keynote line-up is taking shape… Can you guess who’s behind the silhouettes? A first glimpse of the speakers shaping Wildfire2026 is here and will be revealed over the coming weeks. Follow to be the first to know. Be there when the keynote conversations begin! Join us in Leeds this November: ukwildfireconference.co.uk/a… #UKWildfire #NewPerspectivesSharedSolutions

We are pleased to share that the submission deadline for the 2026 UK Wildfire Conference has been extended to Friday 8 May 2026. This extension reflects our commitment to achieving strong representation from across the UK, while also welcoming valuable contributions from international colleagues. We are particularly keen to ensure that perspectives from across UK regions, sectors, and organisations are well represented in this year’s programme, given the increase in wildfire risk and occurrence in recent years. The theme for Wildfire2026, ‘New Perspectives – Shared Solutions’, highlights the urgent need to rethink how we approach wildfire challenges. It recognises that no single viewpoint can fully address the complexity of fire risk. By bringing together diverse UK experiences alongside relevant international insights, we aim to develop solutions that are informed, inclusive, and effective - supporting communities, policymakers, and professionals to respond more resiliently to wildfires. We welcome proposals for both speaker presentations and posters from practitioners and researchers, which clearly align with the conference theme. Further details on how to submit can be found on the Wildfire2026 website. We will aim to notify authors of outcomes by early June 2026. We look forward to receiving your contributions and to showcasing the breadth of expertise across the wildfire community. Submit your abstract via the link below and share this update with contacts that you think will be interested. ukwildfireconference.co.uk/p… #Wildfire2026 #UKWildfireConference