DLA Annual Conference &
General Assembly 2025

22-23 May 2025
TUM-IAS, Garching (near Munich), Germany

Daylight Matters
Turning Knowledge into Change

With the theme “Daylight Matters – Turning Knowledge into Change”, this year’s DLA Annual Conference aims to explore how scientific knowledge about daylight can be translated into meaningful action.

Together, participants will identify key messages, target audiences, and effective communication activities to address knowledge-action gaps. Where is there a lack of evidence? Where do we already have sufficient knowledge, but it fails to reach the right audiences or drive change? Join us in developing strategies for integrating daylight into practices that benefit humans and nature. The role of transdisciplinary research in bridging disciplines and involving stakeholders will remain a central theme. 

The conference will take place on 22-23 May 2025 at the Institute for Advanced Study of the Technical University of Munich (TUM-IAS) and will also be co-hosted by TUM.

Preliminary programme
Call for posters (closed)

Moderation: Dr Rana Zadeh, Department of Human-Centered Design, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, USA

08:30
Registration & welcome coffee
09:00
Introduction
09:10
Sunlight: time for a rethink?

Keynote speech by Prof. Richard Weller, Centre for Inflammation Research, The University of Edinburgh, UK

09:30
Spotlight on DLA projects
10:00
Coffee break
10:30
Parallel sessions

More information coming soon

12:30
Common lunch & posters
14:00
¿One Health or Kawilal?: Insights on intercultural transdisciplinary approaches to foster societal transformations

Keynote speech by Dr Mónica Berger González, Medical Anthropology, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala

14:30
Final discussions & future actions
15:30
The end
Back to the day selector

Dr Cláudia Naves David Amorim
Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of Brasília

Panellist (Day 1)


Dr Mónica Berger González
Medical Anthropology, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala

Keynote speaker (Day 2)


Dr habil. Christine Blume
Centre for Chronobiology, University Psychiatric Clinics, Basel, Switzerland

Panellist (Day 1)


Dr Robert Fosbury
UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK

Keynote speaker (Day 1)


Prof. Christoph Küffer
OST Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland

Moderator & panellist (Day 1)

Prof. Michael Molls
Director of TUM-IAS, Garching near Munich, Germany

Welcome from the host (Day 1)


Dr Siobhan Rockcastle
Director of the Baker Lighting Lab, University of Oregon, USA & Hans Fischer Fellow at TUM-IAS, Germany

Keynote speaker (Day 1)


Prof. Manuel Spitschan
Speaker of the DLA Steering Committee & Professor at Technical University Munich, Germany

Welcome from the Daylight Academy (DLA)


Prof. em. Bernhard Wehrli
Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich and Department of Surface Waters, Eawag, Switzerland

Panellist (Day 1)


Dr Rana Zadeh
Department of Human-Centered Design, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, USA

Moderator & closing of the conference (Day 2)


Prof. em. Gerd Folkers
Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Introduction to The Daylight Award

Conference venue
TUM Institute for Advanced Study (IAS)
Lichtenbergstraße 2a
85748 Garching bei Munich
Germany

Accomodation
Courtyard by Marriott Munich Garching
Walther-Von-Dyck Str. 12
85748 Garching bei Munich
Germany

Conference dinner
Seehaus im Englischen Garten
Kleinhesselohe 3
80802 Munich
Germany