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Description:

From 12 to 15 May the UAB organises The Apocalypse Is Not Coming (TANC), an international conference in which to reflect on apocalyptic imaginaries and their implications in the context of contemporary ecological, technological and geopolitical crises. The Faculty of Arts  & Humanities will host academic debates, workshops and theatrical performances that question the discourse of the end of the world and propose alternative futures based on research, critical analysis and collective participation.

Apocalyptic imaginaries shape perceptions of fear and influence both thought and action, as well as the effectiveness of certain political discourses that construct distressing and fatalistic future scenarios. TANC aims to question end-of-time ideologies and propose alternatives to contemporary apocalyptic thinking from sociology to ecofeminism and artificial intelligence.

The programme combines academic exchange, artistic practice and collaborative experimentation in two master lectures, nine round tables, ten workshops, four theatrical performances, an audiovisual session and two experimental activities.

The two keynote lectures will be given by Marco Armiero, renowned expert in environmental history, with "Ghosts of the Apocalypse: Capitalist Imaginaries and Silenced Stories", and Malcom Ferdinand, expert in political ecology, environmental justice and decolonial thinking from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), who will close the event. Armiero will be accompanied in the post-conference debate by Mar Griera, professor of Sociology at the UAB and director of the Research in Sociology of Religion (ISOR) centre, and by Sergio Ruiz Cayuela, postdoctoral researcher at the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ) of the ICTA-UAB. Ana Fernández-Aballí, Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Religion, Conflict and Globalization at the University of Groningen, and Ione Avila-Palencia, senior researcher at the Centro de Innovación en Tecnología para el Desarrollo (itdUPM) at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, will participate in the debate with Ferdinand.

The round tables will revolve around narratives of permanent crisis; the relationships between ecology, power and coloniality; the social, technological and cultural transformations linked to the end of time, and the possibilities of generating alternative collective responses to these imaginaries.

The workshops will explore alternative ways of thinking, feeling and inhabiting the crisis, combining arts, sciences, humanities and collective practices. They will address the culture of prepping, dominant climate models and audiovisual imaginaries of the end of the world, among other issues.

Finally, four plays developed within the framework of the "Viable Unknowns" project will be performed by the companies Cantieri Meticci (Italy), Voice Lab (Poland), La Xixa Teatre (Spain) and Gruppe Tag (Germany).

The event is the culmination of “Viable Unknowns” and “Ontological Diversity in Environmental Education” (ODEEN), Creative Europe and Horizon Europe projects, respectively, which have brought together social sciences, environmental sciences and participatory theatre methodologies to imagine and promote sustainable and inclusive urban futures. The projects have been carried out over the past year by the UAB and the University of Groningen, together with a transdisciplinary consortium.

Researchers from different UAB centres will be participating in the conference: from Research in Sociology of Religion (ISOR), the Institute of Environmental Science and Technonlogy (ICTA), the Institut d’Història de la Ciència (iHC), the Institut de Govern i Polítiques Públiques (IGOP), and from the departments of Sociology, Journalism and Communication Studies, Art and Musicology, and Business. Experts from the University of Groningen, the Roma Tre University, the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, the BC3 Basque Center for Climate Change, the University of Barcelona, and the Global Health Institute of Barcelona (ISGlobal) will also be participating. In addition, numerous artists and professionals from cultural groups will also collaborate.

The organising committe of TANC is formed by members of ISOR, the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Science and Technology (BCNUEJ) at ICTA-UAB, and the Centre for Religion, Conflict and Globalization at the University of Groningen, as well as a broad range of external collaborators. The conference receives the support of the Communities Oriented to Strategic Challenges (CORE) of the UAB.

The conference is free and open to all those interested, but prior registration is necessary.

All information on TANC is available here:

https://webs.uab.cat/apocalypse-conf/

Place: UAB Faculty of Arts and Humanities

Date: Tuesday 12, May de 2026 - 09:30h

Date: Friday 15, May de 2026 - 19:30h

Promotor: UAB

Description:

In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the publication of the human genome and coinciding with International Fascination of Plants Day, the Centre for Research in Agrigenomics (CRAG), in collaboration with the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Catalan Society of Biology (SCB), is organising a seminar in the conference hall (Sala d'actes) of the Faculty of Biosciences of the UAB.

Several conferences will be held, starting with Iban Eduardo, IRTA researcher at CRAG, who will give the conference "The genomic revolution in agriculture: implications for domestication and crop improvement". Afterwards, Josep Casacuberta, CSIC professor at CRAG, will give the conference "25 + 1 year of plant genomes: from draft to complete genomes and from single genomes to pangenomes".

The day will continue with the talk "One reference genome is not enough: lessons from population-scale studies", given by Josefa González, CSIC researcher at the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of the UAB (IBB-UAB). She will be followed by the conference "From the human genome to the genome of Earth: sequencing life to sustain the planet", given by Aurora Ruiz-Herrera, lecturer in the Department of Cellular Biology, Physiology and Immunology of the UAB and ICREA Acadèmia researcher.

The seminar will end with a round table presided by researchers Martí Quevedo, from CRAG, and Laia Marin, from the Department of Cellular Biology, Physiology and Immunology of the UAB.

More information:
https://www.cragenomica.es/events/25-1-years-genomes-evolution-agriculture-and-biodiversity-reimagined

Place: Faculty of Biosciences (conference hall)

Date: Monday 18, May de 2026 - 12:00h

Promotor: CRAG, Catalan Society of Biology (SCB) and the Faculty of Biosciences of the UAB

Description:

On May 18, 19 and 20, the "Pint of Science" Festival will take place in three bars in Sabadell: L'Estruch Bar (Carrer Sant Isidre 140), The Wild Geese (Plaça de l'Angel 4), and Lamotta (Carrer Església 3). This edition will offer 43 scientific talks on current topics such as energy efficiency, mental health, nanomedicine, climate change, and the impact of artificial intelligence in different areas of our daily lives. Some of the sessions will be given by UAB lecturers and research staff, thus promoting research, the exchange of knowledge, and debates.

Among the UAB members participating are: 

• Albert Bonillo, lecturer in methodologies of behavioural science. 
• Laura Casas, lecturer in the history of law and institutions.
• Ivan Díaz, lecturer in animal health. 
• Carol Galais, lecturer in political science and public administration. 
• Isabel González, researcher in East Asian studies.
• Reyhaneh Sohrabi, researcher in translation and interpreting. 
• Antonio Miguel, professor in theoretical physics. 
• Alex Pérez, researcher in physical chemistry.
• Marta Riba, researcher in physical anthropology. 
• Ester Carreras, researcher in zoology. 
• Arturo Blázquez, lecturer in food technology. 
• Arnau Vilas, lecturer in nutrition and food science. 
• Idoia Codina, lecturer in food technology. 
• Adam Vallés, researcher in optics. 
• Joaquim Ripoll, technician in prehistory. 
• Jordi Rodó, lecturer in English studies. 
• Francesc Gòdia, professor in chemical engineering. 
• Roger Deulofeu, lecturer in logic and the philosophy of science.

Place: L’Estruch, The Wild Geese and Lamotta bars, Sabadell

Date: Monday 18, May de 2026 - 19:00h

Description:

The Catalonia RNA & RNase Salon network, coordinated by the UAB, the University of Girona and the ALBA Synchrotron, is organising the "RNA & RNase Day", which will be held on 19 May at 10:00 a.m. The event will take place at the Sala Josep Vendrell i Roca of the UAB Faculty of Biosciences. Its goal is to promote the exchange of ideas and debate within the field of RNA biology and ribonucleases. 

The programme will begin with the opening lecture, entitled "Decoding the tRNA epitranscriptome and its dynamics at single molecule resolution using nanopore sequencing", which will be given by Eva Maria Novoa, researcher at the Centre for Genomic Regulation. Also participating will be Nicolas Bologna and Ignacio Rubio, researchers at the Centre for Agrigenomic Research; Jiraui Li, researcher in biochemistry and molecular biology at the UAB; Mireia Alegre and Nuria Matas, members of Isogen Life Science; and Adrián Torres, member of Aptadel Therapeutics.

Place: Faculty of Biosciences (Sala Josep Vendrell i Roca)

Date: Tuesday 19, May de 2026 - 10:00h

Description:

The Seminaris a l’Abast series is a dynamic and participatory training space where current topics of interest are discussed. The series includes eight 2-hour sessions, independent of each other, with a total duration of 16 hours. Registration can be made for the entire series or for individual sessions, virtually or in person.

On 20 May, the conference “Can science and technology help improve the functioning of politics?” will take place, which will reflect on the role of scientific and technological knowledge in political decision-making and in strengthening contemporary democracies. The event will feature the participation of Joan Subirats, professor emeritus of political science at the UAB and former minister for universities.

Place: UAB Auditorium (Faculty of Arts & Humanities)

Date: Wednesday 20, May de 2026 - 17:00h

Description:

The Research in Sociology of Religion (ISOR) group of the UAB organises a new session of the ISOR seminar entitled " Religion in caricature: populism and artistic freedom". The activity will address the relationship between the satirical representation of religion, populism and the limits of artistic freedom and expression in today's societies.

The session will be led by Daniel Gamper, lecturer in moral philosophy at the UAB. Gamper will reflect on the tensions between religious sensitivity, public debate and contemporary artistic creation.

Place: Faculty of Political Science and Sociology (Boardroom)

Date: Tuesday 26, May de 2026 - 15:00h