Across a wide field of industries, sustainability is no longer an option but an essential consideration. Under this heading we need to address, not just a drive towards more economical use of materials and energy, but also look at how the mathematical modelling used to provide such solutions can itself be made more sustainable. We invite you to join us at the University of Birmingham to share expertise, address the awkward questions that need to be asked and above all gain a fuller understanding of the role mathematics has to play in improving sustainability. This one-day forum will include keynote speakers, presentations, speed networking and a grand challenge event, all focussed on making discussing a difficult topic both interactive and enjoyable. Call for Presentations: You are invited to submit a 200-word overview of your proposed presentation in one of seven key areas: 1) Optimisation of industrial systems to minimise energy/materials use. AI tools on CAD to calculate environmental costs for newly designed components and give relative improvements when current processes are optimised. 2) Development of surrogate models to reduce computational expense in modelling, such as closed form equations and symbolic regression rather than black box empirical methods. 3) Sustainable materials, biofuels, calculation of biodegradation rates. 4) Recycling: novel chemical recycling methods, life cycle analysis, forecasting recycling methods for lifetime calculations. Circular economy for items such as PPE and how to approach multi-material, multi-process items within methodologies. 5) Calculating Scope 3 emissions and reporting avoided emissions. (Currently there are no confidence intervals given with any emissions factors so it is difficult to gauge uncertainty of calculations.) 6) Environmental modelling, such as wind turbine design optimisation and large-scale CO2 forecasting models. 7) Climate risk modelling for supply chains, reducing uncertainty. Please make it clear which of the above categories your overview is relevant to. The deadline for overview submissions is 24th July 2026 and should be submitted through https://my.ima.org.uk/
You do not need to be an IMA member to make a submission, non-members can register for free and upload their submissions for the event on the portal. The day will consist of talks, workshops and networking events covering all seven key areas.

Conference fee: £20 (including lunch and refreshments)

Further information: Please contact the Conferences Department: [email protected] Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, Ground Floor Suite, 19-20 Clifftown Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS1 1AB