Forests are one of our most precious natural resources, providing habitat and sustenance for a myriad of organisms that interact with one another, and with abiotic factors, in complex and fascinating ways.
In addition to harbouring a wealth of biodiversity of organisms, forests also provide humans with crucial resources that benefit our health as well as providing critical economic and social value.
In this symposium, we will explore plant interactions in forest environments at all levels from micro- to macro-scales and across the whole spectrum of plant biology.
Organising Committee:
Amy Austin, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Michał Bogdziewicz, Forest Biology Center, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland
Aurélie Deveau, INRAE Grand Est-Nancy, France
Charlotte Grossiord, EPFL, Switzerland
Tommaso Jucker, University of Bristol, UK
Francis Martin, INRAE Grand Est-Nancy, France and China Agriculture University, Beijing, China
Rodica Pena, University of Reading, UK
Andrea Polle, University of Göttingen, Germany
Kai Zhu, University of Michigan, USA
Further information to be announced, sign up to our events mailing list to be the first to know about updates.
Places at this symposium are limited. Register early to secure your place.
Registration rates:
Early bird regular: 400 CHF
Early bird student: 300 CHF
Regular: 450 CHF
Student: 350 CHF
Early bird rates will apply until 1 May 2026
Registration includes:
Access to all sessions, including poster sessions
Lunch, dinner and refreshment breaks as per the schedule at the Swiss Alpine Centre
A place at the symposium dinner (details to be confirmed)
Registration does not include accommodation or the optional field trip.
Travel grants and fee waivers
PhD students and early career researchers with fewer than 5 years' experience since completing their PhD may request a travel grant and/or fee waiver when submitting an abstract. We expect the process to be competitive. Please see the Abstracts and travel grants section for further details.
Waiting list
Places at this symposium are limited. Should we reach capacity for the symposium, delegates interested in attending should register for the waiting list. Should a place become available you will be contacted with details on how to register and pay the symposium registration fee.
Payment options
Our preferred payment method is to for delegates to pay by card when registering, or opt to generate an invoice link to allow a third party, such as your finance team, or administrator, to pay by card.
If you are unable to pay by card you can generate an offline payment invoice to pay by a bank transfer. You should provide the name and email address of the person responsible for paying the invoice.
Invoices must be paid within 30 days, or the delegate place may be cancelled and offered to the waiting list. The exception is where a delegate has applied for a fee waiver, in which case the payment term will be extended until two weeks after notification of the outcome of their application for a fee waiver.
Cancellation policy
If a delegate is no longer able to attend, they should inform Christine Phillips, Events and Promotions Manager, immediately. The delegate can opt to transfer their registration to another delegate, or request a refund. Refunds of registration fees will be provided where the delegate place is able to be re-sold. If a delegate has paid via an offline payment invoice/bank transfer a 20 CHF admin fee will be deducted from any refund. Please note that cancellations received with less than 14 days' notice are unlikely to be able to be resold.
Where a delegate is presenting a poster and is unable to attend they can request that a co-author present the poster on their behalf. The delegate place can be transferred to the co-author.
Should circumstances beyond our control force the cancellation of the symposium, the New Phytologist Foundation is unable to accept liability for any additional costs incurred, including travel costs, and delegates are strongly encouraged to take out appropriate travel insurance to cover them in the event of cancellation.
Abstract submission
Delegates are encouraged to submit an abstract to be considered for an oral or poster presentation.
We have limited poster exhibition/programme space, and expect the process to be competitive. Preference will be given to new unpublished, or recently published work.
Each presenting author is limited to one abstract submission, but there is no limit on how many times someone can be listed as co-author. Should an abstract be selected for inclusion the presenting author will need to register to attend before their inclusion in the programme is confirmed.
Abstract submission deadline: 20 May 2026
Abstract and travel grant decisions will be confirmed in early July 2026.
Abstract guidelines
All abstract sections should be provided in English.
The main text should provide concise details of the background and objective(s) of the investigation, methods used, results and conclusion.
Abstract text should be no more than 200 words.
Abstract submissions are done on the Oxford Abstract submission portal. If you do not already have an account, you will need to create a free account.
For further advice on submitting an abstract please visit Oxford Abstracts' guidance for submitters page. You can also contact the Events and Promotions Manager, Christine Phillips for assistance.
Travel grants
We have a limited number of travel grants and fee waivers available. You must submit an abstract by 20 May 2026 to be considered.
Travel grants and/or fee waivers are available to PhD candidates and early career researchers with fewer than 5 years' experience post-PhD. This can be extended to researchers with more than 5 years experience where they are based in a country that is classed as low- or middle-income by the World Bank, and would be unable to attend without a travel grant. Travel grant amounts will vary, as they are based on the travel costs for each recipient.
Travel grants and fee waivers will be awarded based on the scientific merit of the abstract submitted. The financial need of the applicant will also be taken into account.
To apply for a travel grant and/or fee waiver, in addition to your abstract you should submit:
A brief (no more than 200 word) statement indicating your reasons for wishing to attend and how you hope the meeting will enhance your career/research.
A CV, which includes academic details, publication history, presentations given, awards and any other information to support your application.
A supporting letter from a scientist who has agreed to act as a reference for your application. This can also be emailed directly to np-symposia@lancaster.ac.uk by 20 May 2026. (If you are only applying for a fee waiver you do not need to provide a supporting letter)
If you have any questions, please contact the Events and Promotions Manager, Christine Phillips
If you plan to attend the symposium regardless of whether you are awarded a travel grant and/or fee waiver, you should not to wait until the outcome of your travel grant application to register, as there are limited places at this event. To defer your registration fee payment, you can select the option to pay by invoice, and the invoice payment can be delayed until after the travel grant applications are reviewed.
Should your application be successful, any registration fee paid will be refunded, or the amount of your registration fee can be added to your travel grant reimbursement.
Claiming a travel grant or travel contribution
When a travel grant, sometimes referred to as a travel contribution, has been awarded, the payment of the travel grant will not be issued until after the event.
The New Phytologist Foundation will have set a specific amount for the travel grant. No receipts are required to claim the travel grant. This allows the travel grant recipient to arrange their travel to best suit their needs.
Where possible, we encourage travel grant recipients to combine their travel to the event with other activities to make better use of the carbon footprint of attending the meeting.
The payment of a travel grant can be to the recipient's institution, or to their personal bank account, and will be made by a bank transfer. Travel grant recipients will receive a link to a secure form to provide their bank details to arrange the payment of the travel grant. Institutions may send an invoice for the amount of the travel grant to the New Phytologist Foundation. Please contact np-finance@lancaster.ac.uk with any questions about invoices.
If paying for their travel in advance will cause the attendee to experience a significant financial burden, or if the delegate will have difficulty in receiving a bank transfer from the UK, please contact the Events and Promotions Manager to discuss alternative options.
If the delegate is unable to attend the event, generally the travel grant will not be paid. Delegates are encouraged to take out travel insurance to cover them should they be unable to attend. Any request for a travel grant to be paid following non-attendance will need to be approved by the Executive Editor. We will request confirmation of travel expenses with receipts in these circumstances, as well as proof that the travel costs could not be refunded.
We are delighted to confirm the following invited speakers will speak across six themed sessions. Additional speakers to be announced and selected from submitted abstracts.
Session 1: Tree – microbe interactions
Session 2: Tree health and disease
Session 3: Tree – tree interactions
Session 4: Forest – climate interactions
Session 5: Forest – human interactions
Session 6: Future forests
The symposium will take place at the Swiss Alpine Centre
Address: Route de Belvédère 35, 1854 Leysin, Switzerland
Travel
Getting to Leysin
Leysin is accessible by public transport from a number of Swiss cities.
By Train
The nearest station is Leysin-Feydey on the R70 regional train line from Aigle to Leysin
Trains take approximately 30 min from Aigle to Leysin-Feydey and depart regularly throughout the day. From Leysin-Feydey it is a 5 min walk to the Swiss Alpine Centre.
Aigle is on several Intercity train routes, and travel times are approximately:
Lausanne train station – Aigle – Leysin: 1 hour – 1 hour 30 min
Geneva Airport – Aigle – Leysin: 2 hours – 2 hours 30 min
Geneva train station – Aigle – Leysin: 2 hours – 2 hours 30 min
Bern train station – Aigle – Leysin: 2 hours 20 min – 3 hours
Basel train station – Aigle – Leysin: 3 hours 30 min – 4 hours
Zurich Airport – Aigle – Leysin: 3 hours 45 min – 4 hours 15 min
Further information about trains in Switzerland can be found at https://www.sbb.ch/en
Tip from the organisers: Train route searches may not always suggest the best route for long distance train journeys. For example, if you are traveling from Paris you may want to search for trains to Lausanne, and for trains from Germany you may want to search for trains to Basel and then book internal Swiss trains to Leysin.
By Air
Geneva is the closest airport to Leysin. From the airport it takes 2 hours – 2 hours 30 min to reach Leysin by train, or 1 hour 40 min – 2 hours by car.
Zurich airport may have a larger number of international flights. From the airport it takes about 3 hours 30 min – 4 hours to reach Leysin by train or 3 – 4 hours by car.
On-site accommodation
There are a limited number of dormitory style rooms at the Swiss Alpine Centre.
These rooms are a mixture of en-suite rooms and rooms with an attached shower and shared toilet facilities. Rooms will have either two single beds, or two bunk beds, and include linens and towels and a continental breakfast.
On-site accommodation will be prioritised for early career researchers and students who have had their abstract accepted.
You can confirm your interest in an on-site room when submitting your abstract.
Following abstract results, delegates with accepted abstracts will be contacted with the option to book accommodation. Any rooms not booked after three weeks will be released to any other delegates.
Delegates that are awarded a travel grant and/or fee waiver will have accommodation included.
Nights available:
Delegates can request to book three, four or five nights accommodation. Rooms are available from Monday 12 October, and the last check-out day is Saturday 17 October. Delegates must book a minimum of the three nights' accommodation during the symposium.
Accommodation charges:
per night single occupancy - 90 CHF
per night double occupancy (per person) - 60 CHF
Off-site accommodation
Leysin has several hotels and guest houses within walking distance. Below are the four closest hotels.
Hotel Central Residence and Spa - 250 m (3 – 5 min walk)
Address: Route du Belvédère 20, CH-1854 Leysin, Switzerland
Alpine Classic Hotel - 500 m (10 min walk)
Address: Route de la Cité 4, Case postale 221, 1854 Leysin, Switzerland
Hotel Le Grand Chalet - 650 m (12 min walk)
Address: Hotel Le Grand Chalet, Source Path 2, CH - 1854 Leysin, Switzerland
Hotel La Tour d'Ai - 650 m (12 min walk)
Address: Les Ormonts 14, 1854 Leysin, Switzerland
Field trip to Pfynwald Research Platform (VPDrought Experiment)
Date: Friday 16 October
Times: following the close of the symposium to approx. 17:00.
The VPDrought experiment is hosted at the Pfynwald research platform, a long-term, fully instrumented forest research site in a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest in the Valais, Switzerland. Established in 2003 and integrated into national and European research infrastructures, this platform has provided continuous, high-resolution ecological and environmental data for over two decades.
Since early summer 2024, the VPDrought experiment—the first in the world to manipulate both atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and soil moisture in a mature natural forest—has been operational here. Its objective is to disentangle the effects of atmospheric “air dryness” (VPD) and soil drought on tree physiology and ecosystem functioning across scales, from cellular processes to whole-tree and ecosystem responses.
The experimental setup combines canopy humidification (to modulate VPD) and controlled throughfall exclusion (to manipulate soil moisture), complementing an existing long-term irrigation experiment. The site’s rich suite of measurements, covering more than 120 parameters across temporal and spatial scales, provides a unique empirical platform for advancing our understanding of forest responses to climate change and improving predictive ecological models.
Spaces on the field trip are limited to 80 delegates and must be pre-booked. A contribution towards transportation costs will be collected when booking.
Booking for registered delegates will open in early summer following abstract acceptances.
The organising committee would like to thank Giovanni Bortolami (EPFL), Arthur Gessler (WSL & ETHZ), Jonas Gisler (WSL), and Marcus Schaub (WSL) for leading the field trip.
Onward travel from the field trip
After the field trip, attendees will have the option of being dropped off at Leuk station at around 17:15, Aigle station at around 18:30 or to return to the Swiss Alpine Centre/Leysin.
Invited speakers should refer to the invited speaker information document sent to them by the Events and Promotions Manager for information about their accommodation and travel arrangements.
Timings for talks
Invited speakers have been allocated 20-25 minutes for their talk and 5-10 minutes for Q&A (30 minutes total)
The chairs will strictly keep to time, so please assist them in keeping your talk within the allocated time.
Presentation slides
To ensure things run smoothly we will be presenting all slides from a dedicated computer. You will have a remote to advance your slides.
Please send your slides by Thursday 8 October
Please provide your slides as PowerPoint files in a 16:9 slide aspect ratio. If you cannot provide PowerPoint files, please let us know by 1 October so we can provide assistance in converting your slides. If you plan to use speaker notes within PowerPoint, we encourage you to bring a print-out as a back-up in case these do not display properly. If you have prepared your slides on a Mac, please advise us, as there can sometimes be formatting discrepancies in graphs and large images.
A template title slide and ending question slide will be provided to speakers in due course, to allow you to add your slides.
Speakers will be sent a link to a OneDrive folder to upload your slides approximately 1 month before the symposium.
Making last-minute changes to your presentation
All presentation slides will be loaded into a central slide deck, presented from a dedicated laptop for each session, to ensure things run smoothly. This means that making last-minute changes to your slides will be difficult. For any essential changes, we can make emergency last-minute corrections up to the day before; please clearly state which slides need replacing.
These changes should be uploaded to OneDrive AND given in person to the Events and Promotions Manager, Christine Phillips at the venue. Please check with Christine that they have been received and ideally be present to check your slide deck 10 minutes before your session starts, or at the end of the day before your talk.
AV information
Full details of the AV set-up are still being confirmed; Speakers will need to ensure that they use the provided microphones during their talks.
Travel contributions
The New Phytologist Foundation will provide a travel contribution/grant to invited speakers. The amount of your grant was confirmed in your invitation letter. Speakers should book their own travel or have their institution book it for them. We do not require receipts, and you are welcome to combine your trip to Switzerland with other travel plans to make the best use of your travel carbon footprint.
Following your attendance at the symposium, we will send you a secure online form to provide your bank details to be reimbursed. If your institution paid for your travel, they may invoice us for the amount of your travel grant. Please get in touch to request our invoice details. We aim to pay travel grants as soon as possible after the symposium, but payments may take 4 – 6 weeks to process following receipt of the recipient's bank details. If you require alternative travel contribution arrangements, please get in touch to discuss.
Below we set out some frequent questions that participants have. If your question is not listed below, please contact the Events and Promotions Manager.
This will be updated with further information in due course.
The symposium will take place at the Swiss Alpine Centre
Address: Route de Belvédère 35, 1854 Leysin, Switzerland
The symposium will start with lunch at noon on Tuesday 13 October, with sessions starting at approximately 13:00.
The symposium will conclude by 13:00 on Friday 16 October, and will be followed by lunch.
An optional field trip is planned on Friday afternoon.
A full draft programme will be published in August.
Registered delegates will receive lunch, dinner and coffee breaks at the Swiss Alpine Centre as per the schedule. An off-site conference dinner is also included – further details to be confirmed
Delegates staying at the Swiss Alpine Centre will have breakfast included in their accommodation.
Please provide any dietary requirements, including food allergies or intolerances when registering.
1 May
Early bird registration closes
20 May
Abstract submission deadline
Travel grant application deadline
If a delegate is no longer able to attend, they should inform Christine Phillips, Events and Promotions Manager, immediately. The delegate can opt to transfer their registration to another delegate, or request a refund. Refunds of registration fees will be provided where the delegate place is able to be re-sold. If a delegate has paid via an offline payment invoice/bank transfer a 20 CHF admin fee will be deducted from any refund. Please note that cancellations received with less than 14 days' notice are unlikely to be able to be resold.
Where a delegate is presenting a poster and is unable to attend they can request that a co-author present the poster on their behalf. The delegate place can be transferred to the co-author.
Should circumstances beyond our control force the cancellation of the symposium, the New Phytologist Foundation is unable to accept liability for any additional costs incurred, including travel costs, and delegates are strongly encouraged to take out appropriate travel insurance to cover them in the event of cancellation.
Prizes will be awarded for the best posters. All registered delegates can vote for the best poster, with a prize of 200 CHF for the top poster and 100 CHF for a runner up.
It is the delegates responsibility to check the entry requirements for their nationality. The EU is currently rolling out a new Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay.
Further information is at the EES website.
The new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026. This may be required in October 2026, but an official start date has not been confirmed.
You can fill in the application form using either the official ETIAS website or the ETIAS mobile application. Applying for the ETIAS travel authorisation costs EUR 20, though some travellers are exempt from paying this fee.
Applying for a visa
Switzerland is within the Schengen area. Further information about Schengen visas. Check with the Swiss Embassy in your home country for further information on visa applications.
Passport validity requirements
Switzerland follows Schengen area rules. Your passport must:
have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive – if you renewed your passport before 1 October 2018, it may have a date of issue that is more than 10 years ago.
have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area (the expiry date does not need to be within 10 years of the date of issue).
Please ensure you have checked whether you require a visa to enter the Schengen area (see 'Visas and entry to the Schengen area'). The New Phytologist Foundation can supply a letter of invitation to support a visa application once the delegate has registered and paid their full registration fee, or has been awarded a fee waiver.
You can request a visa invitation letter when registering, and you will then be sent a secure form to provide your passport information
We have a limited number of travel grants and fee waivers available. You must submit an abstract by the deadline of 20 May 2026 to be considered.
See the Abstracts and travel grants tab for full details.
We strongly recommend that all attendees have appropriate travel insurance for their trip, including cancellation cover and medical insurance. We encourage you to check if travel insurance is provided by your university/institution.
The New Phytologist Foundation celebrates diversity, and we expect participants in our meetings to be respectful, considerate and supportive of each other, to offer constructive critiques and embrace the variety of opinions on offer. New Phytologist Foundation events are an opportunity to share, develop and broaden our viewpoints within a safe and inclusive setting.
The New Phytologist Foundation has established a set of core principles that outline the standards expected of individuals involved in the Foundation’s activities, including symposia and workshops. We strive to treat all individuals with respect and promote a safe environment free from discrimination, harassment, and victimisation.
Expected behaviour
We respect the rights of all individuals to dignity, privacy and confidentiality and delegates must treat everyone with respect.
We ask delegates to respect their fellow participants and ensure they undertake good practices for intercultural collaborations. Several tips for intercultural communication can be found at Commisceo Global and CHRYSOS.
We ask that delegates remain mindful of their surroundings and respect the surroundings of their fellow delegates.
Do not share, copy, or reuse any materials presented by speakers unless this is expressly permitted.
All delegates must ensure they respect the staff, rules and protocols of the meeting venue, accommodation, and online platform. This also includes protocols linked to COVID-19.
We will not tolerate behaviours that involve discrimination of individuals or groups on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, gender identity, age, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. Sexual harassment, bullying, intimidation, or harassment in any form will not be tolerated.
Any delegates that do not meet the expected respectful behaviour may be immediately removed from the online or physical meeting.
If you have any concerns or suggestions, please speak to the Events and Promotions Manager, Christine Phillips or the Executive Editor, Sarah Lennon. Alternatively, you can email np-symposia@lancaster.ac.uk.
Photography and filming may take place at New Phytologist Foundation events.
The resulting photographs and video footage will be used by the New Phytologist Foundation for the purpose of outreach and promoting their activities and may be published on the New Phytologist Foundation’s website and social media channels.
When events are recorded, recordings will only be made available with the explicit permission of the speakers. In some cases the publication of the recording may be delayed while the speaker awaits publication of their research.
By registering to attend in-person you are consenting to appear in photographs and or video content from the meeting.
If you do not want to be photographed or filmed, please ensure you have informed the Event and Promotions Manager at least three weeks prior to the start of the event.
If you have any concerns, please contact Christine Phillips, Events and Promotions Manager.
Privacy Policy
Please see the Foundation's privacy policy.