KeynotesICT4S 2026

Keynote Speakers

We are glad to announce that three highly established researchers, representing diverse perspectives, will deliver keynotes at ICT4S 2026.

These keynotes will take place from Tuesday to Thursday. Further keynotes and panel discussions will be held on the Industry and Policy Leaders Day on Monday.

Somya Joshi is Research Director at the Stockholm Environment Institute and chairs the AI Task Force. She previously had the position of Head of Division – Global Agendas, Climate and Systems. She is Docent (Associate Professor) at Stockholm University in Technology & Governance.

Somya’s research has been situated between cognitive sciences and technology design, particularly in how data and systems translate into transparency and accountability in governance. She has over fifteen years of experience bridging science and policy for sustainable development and challenging entrenched narratives of extractivism within technology disruption.

Somya has held leadership roles in science-policy frontiers with a strong focus on decarbonisation, industry transition, climate governance and using futures thinking to bring about systemic change that is aligned with planetary limits. After being awarded her doctoral degree from Manchester, UK, in decision science, Somya was offered a post doctoral position at Cambridge University, UK, in Information Systems, applying a critical lens on the efficacy of Global Development Organisations. This experience allowed her to participate in international development cooperation and methods development related to multi-level governance, with particular focus on global goals.

Today Somya leads global voices in the field of Sustainable AI, delivering keynote talks at international fora, whilst also leading academic research, supervision and mentoring of PhD and post doctoral researchers. She manages a dynamic division of experts in fields as diverse as energy and industry transition, international climate risk and adaptation, supply chain transparency and global goals – leading the leaders of the future.

Friedemann Mattern joined ETH Zurich's Computer Science Department in 1999, having previously held professorships at Saarbrücken and Darmstadt. At ETH Zurich, he founded a research group in ubiquitous computing and co-established the M-Lab and Bits to Energy competence centers, in partnership with the University of St. Gallen. These centers, collaborating with leading industrial firms, investigated a wide range of subjects, including human-computer interaction, mobile computing, Internet of Things applications, and smart energy solutions. This research has led to the development of numerous innovative prototype systems and the successful creation of several startups.

Mattern's research interests include Distributed Systems and Ubiquitous Computing, focusing on models and concepts of distributed computing, sensor networks, and infrastructure mechanisms for the Internet of Things. His teaching repertoire spans lectures on distributed systems and algorithms, computer networks, ubiquitous computing, simulation concepts, smart energy, and core computer science courses. Notably, his introductory computer science lecture incorporates historical, cultural, and societal perspectives, reflecting ETH Zurich's "Critical Thinking" initiative.

A member of several scientific academies, including the German National Academy of Sciences, Mattern serves as an advisor to political and industrial entities. From 2010 to 2013, he chaired the Computer Science Department at ETH Zurich, where he successfully implemented strategies to significantly increase the number of professorships in AI/Machine Learning and Cybersecurity. Throughout his tenure at ETH Zurich and following his retirement in 2020, he accepted visiting professorships and teaching roles at various international universities.

Peter Messerli is the director of the Wyss Academy for Nature and professor for sustainable development at the University of Bern, Switzerland. In his work, he is committed to combining science, politics, and practice to develop tangible innovations for nature and people. Being a geographer and land system scientist, his work has been focusing on sustainable development of human-environment systems in a globalized world that faces existential environmental challenges.

He is co-chair of Future Earth’s Global Land Programme (GLP) and was co-chair of the UN Global Sustainable Development Report 2019. In 2023, he was appointed a Fellow of the International Science Council (ISC) in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the promotion of science as a global public good.

Peter Messerli has lived and worked more than 10 years in Madagascar and Laos directing large-scale research projects focusing on inter- and transdisciplinarity. From 2009 to 2020 he was the director of the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at University of Bern. He has extensive experience in science-policy interactions from the local to the global level and occupies many functions in advising and guiding governmental, scientific, and civil-society organisations related to sustainable development.