Invited speakers

Foundation Professor, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University

Professor Diane E. Pataki is a Foundation Professor in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. She previously served as the School Director, and prior to coming to ASU was the Associate Vice President for Research and a Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Utah, with an adjunct appointment in the Department of City & Metropolitan Planning. She has also previously held positions as Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Science at the University of Utah. 

Prior to 2012, Professor Pataki was on the faculty of the University of California, Irvine, with a joint appointment in the Department of Earth System Science and the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. She was the founding Director of the UC Irvine Center for Environmental Biology and the Steele Burnand Anza Borrego Desert Research Center, a University of California Natural Reserve operated in collaboration with Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Professor Pataki received a BA in environmental science at Barnard College, and an MS and PhD at the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment.

Professor Pataki’s work is transdisciplinary and has spanned the impacts of climate change on ecosystems; coupled human-natural processes related to urban CO2 emissions and water consumption; and the role of nature, greenspace, and forestry in urban sustainability. She has authored or co-authored more than 140 papers on local and global carbon, nitrogen and water cycles; urban biodiversity; forestry; ecohydrology and socioecology.

Chair of Strategic Landscape Planning and Management, Technical University of Munich

Professor Pauleit’s work involves research, policy advice and lecturing in the field of planning and sustainable development of natural, rural and urban landscapes. He primarily investigates how planning can meet the future challenges of globalisation, such as food security, energy supply shortages, urbanisation, adapting to climate change, and natural hazards. He is particularly interested in urban ecology and urban land use planning. In recent years, Professor Pauleit has increasingly turned his focus to how cities can adapt to climate change.

Chief Executive Officer, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

Mr Felix Loh began his career in the National Parks Board after graduating with a Bachelor of Horticulture, First Class (Science) from Massey University, New Zealand, under a Singapore Government Scholarship. He was subsequently awarded a National Parks Board scholarship and obtained a Master of Science in Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture from Cornell University, USA.

Over the course of his career, Mr Loh has held several key positions in the National Parks Board and Ministry of National Development, and has more than 20 years of experience in parks management, horticulture and landscape industry development, as well as policy development. Prior to joining Gardens by the Bay, he served as Senior Director (Corporate Development) and oversaw the corporate functions of the Ministry of National Development, including finance, estates, engagement and partnerships, human resource, knowledge management and IT. In recognition of his dedicated service, he was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) in 2005 and Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2012.

Mr Loh joined Gardens by the Bay in 2014 as its Chief Operating Officer. A champion of research and development in sustaining the Gardens’ growth, he led the horticultural team to successfully achieve flowering blooms on highly challenging temperate species such as cherry blossom and dahlias, which have since become marquee floral displays in the Gardens’ calendar of events. He has also been involved in the deployment of new and emerging technologies, such as the first fully operational self-driving vehicle in Asia, at the Gardens.

Associate Professor, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney

Head of Landscape, Heatherwick Studios

Philipp Nedomlel’s passion for exceptional landscaping has complemented a wide range of the Studio’s projects. Most notably, this has included 1000 Trees, a new mixed-use development in Shanghai that takes the form of two tree-covered mountains. Philipp led the landscape design of the project from concept to detailed design and currently co-ordinates with the client and consultants during the construction phase to ensure the quality of the project’s landscape elements, which will include 25,000 individual plants and 100 different species of plants and trees on completion.

Philipp has also recently worked on the landscape design for a new office building in Madrid, a retail destination in the UK, and a public space in Milwaukee, USA. Internally at the Studio, Philipp leads the team’s efforts to provide specialist training and support for all Studio members on landscape-related topics.