Design for Wildfire LA talks

Melissa Sterry, PhD, CSci, FIScT, FDRS : Leading Expert in Biomimicry and Resilience for Wildfire

Melissa Sterry is a globally acclaimed ecological design scientist, complex systems theorist, biofuturist, and thought leader in sustainable innovation and urban resilience. The seminal research exploration in the field, she holds a PhD in designing resilience to major wildfires through the creation of complex adaptive architectural and urban systems that mimic, synthesise, and synchronise with the biochemistry, behaviours, and relationships of indigenous flora and fauna species in the low, mixed, and high-severity fire regimes of the western United States. She is a chartered scientist with the Science Council, a member of the Design Council expert network, and a recipient of multiple prestigious fellowships and other accolades including over a dozen national and international awards. With over two decades of experience at the intersection of science, design, and innovation, she has pioneered paradigms such as Panarchistic Architecture and Pyrophytic Architecture™, which apply systems thinking and nature-inspired design to tackle the challenges posed by wildfires. She has founded multiple award-winning sustainable design projects including Bionic City® [Est. 2010], which was the first initiative to explore how would nature design a city" with resilience to natural hazards and New Frontiers, which was one of the UK’s earliest sustainable design for the built environment programmes [2008 - 2010] and supported by over twenty of the UK’s leading scientific, engineering, and design institutions. Drawing on her extensive transdisciplinary expertise, Dr. Sterry’s talks offer transformative insights for professionals in architecture, urban planning, real estate, policymaking, insurance, and beyond.

Her Design for Wildfire talks can be booked individually or as a series, delivered online or in-person and in regions including the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, and Europe. In addition to the talks, organisations can enhance their engagement with tailored workshops on bio-inspired design for wildfire resilience, commission bespoke white papers and reports, and multimedia educational programs delivered through film, podcasts, and print. Whether you are looking to inform your leadership team, inspire your workforce, or educate stakeholders, Dr. Sterry’s talks are designed to spark actionable ideas and forward-thinking strategies. Find a selection of talk topics to choose from below.

Rebuilding Los Angeles: A Nature-Inspired Approach

Harnessing Biomimicry for Fire-Resilient Communities

The devastation of the 2025 wildfires presents an opportunity to rethink how we build in fire-prone regions. This talk explores how nature’s time-tested strategies — found in fire-adapted ecosystems — can inform the reconstruction of resilient homes, infrastructure, and public spaces in Los Angeles. Dr Melissa Sterry, field founder of nature-inspired architectural and urban design for resilience to wildfire highlights state-of-the-science approaches that integrate smart materials, adaptive engineering, regenerative design, and wildfire monitoring infrastructure to create communities that not only survive but thrive in wildfire-prone environments. 

bioCase Study Houses: Next Generation Fire-Resilience

Nature-Inspired Prototypes for the Los Angeles Rebuild 

The Case Study Houses of the 20th century redefined Californian architecture. Now, Los Angeles has the opportunity to pioneer a new generation of homes inspired by plants and ecosystems that have evolved to live with fire. Dr Melissa Sterry introduces fire-adaptive architectural concepts that integrate self-repairing and fire-retardant materials, passive structural fire resilience, bio-inspired spatial planning, marking a new era for resilient architecture. 

Fire-Resilient City: A Systems-Based Approach to Rebuilding LA 

Creating a Regenerative Urban Future

Rebuilding Los Angeles requires a shift from reactive planning to a systems-thinking approach that integrates resilience at every level. This session explores how the city can be designed to absorb and recover from fire-related disturbances by applying principles found in resilient ecosystems. Dr Melissa Sterry discusses multi-layered urban defence strategies and nature-based solutions for long-term wildfire adaptation, informed by her extensive research in the field, both developing seminal concepts and working with global leaders in industry and academia.

Living with Fire: Reimagining LA’s Wildland-Urban Interface

Designing Fire-Adaptive Communities Along the City’s Edge 

The boundary between the city and its wildlands is one of the most fire-prone areas in Los Angeles. This talk explores how communities at the wildland-urban interface can be redesigned to reduce risk while maintaining a strong connection to nature. Dr Melissa Sterry introduces her groundbreaking biomimetic approach that integrates natural firebreaks, fire-resistant housing materials, regenerative design strategies, and ecological urbanism.

From La La Land to Fire Resilient City

Creating an inspiring vision for the future of Los Angeles 

Los Angeles has the opportunity to set a global precedent for wildfire resilience and climate-adaptive urbanism. This talk presents a bold, biomimetic vision for the city —one where fire-resilient housing, regenerative landscapes, and nature-inspired infrastructure work in harmony to create a thriving, adaptable metropolis. Dr Melissa Sterry discusses the initiative she has launched to create this vision working in collaboration with designers, architects, planners, visual artists, and filmmakers in Los Angeles, the wider United States, and the United Kingdom.

Whether you're in architecture, urban planning, policymaking, insurance, or real estate, Dr. Sterry's talks empower your teams to develop innovative, nature-inspired wildfire solutions. Her engaging presentations combine her extensive academic credentials, groundbreaking research, and practical applications, tailored to inspire fresh perspectives and future-fit strategies. Delivered in a format that suits your organisation — whether a single session, series, or complemented by workshops — these talks foster resilience, sustainability, and forward-thinking innovation. Clients wishing to book Dr. Sterry in-person need to book well ahead of time. Her services can be booked directly via the form below, or a direct message on Linkedin, or through her agents in the London and Los Angeles.