Next Gen Speaker Series – Boryana Todorova

Join us for a presentation by Boryana Todorova, a Visiting Researcher at the Net Zero Observatory, University of Queensland, and a member of the Neuro Climate Working Group. Her research examines the two-way relationship between climate change and the brain: how climate-related stressors affect brain health, cognition, and social behavior, and how cognitive and neural processes shape pro-environmental behavior and climate action. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and the social sciences, her goal is to advance a more integrated understanding of human responses to climate change and to inform strategies for fostering resilience and collective action.

She will give an overview of the work done by the Neuro Climate Working Group, a global interdisciplinary research network and alliance of scientists, clinicians, policy experts, and climate advocates focused on the crucial intersection of climate change and brain health. She will present emerging evidence that demonstrates that climate-related factors, including heatwaves, extreme weather events, and air pollution, can have a profound impact on neurological function, mental health, and socio-cognitive capacities. In turn, she will also show that climate action can, directly and indirectly, benefit our brain health, and discuss how emphasizing this holds the potential of harvesting self-interest as a driving force for change. She will also talk about how early-career researchers can get involved – from contributing to collaborative research projects, to shaping public narratives, and joining interdisciplinary groups. Ultimately, she aims to show how students and young researchers can play an active role in building a new field at the nexus of Planetary Health and brain science, and how their engagement is crucial for advancing both climate solutions and human well-being.