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Published: 14 August 2026

A full circle moment: Surrey’s environmental psychologists reflect on IAPS 2026

The International Association for People–Environment Studies (IAPS) Conference 2026 was held at the University of Surrey on 29 June–3 July 2026. The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Sustainability as wellbeing: Towards healthy, green, and equitable communities’.

IAPS 2026 attendees on a tour of Surrey's Stag Hill campus.

Professor David Canter delivers a talk at the IAPS 2026 conference.

Attendees of IAPS 2026 share their research findings in an exhibition.

Attendees listen to a keynote speaker at IAPS 2026.

IAPS conference attendees in Guildford Cathedral.

Held every two years, the IAPS Conference is a major event that brings together people–environment researchers from across the globe, from those just starting in their career to established leaders in the field.

Set against the backdrop of Surrey’s idyllic campus lake and green surroundings, the packed schedule included keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops, film screenings and poster cafes.

As the UK and Europe experience unprecedented heatwaves, this year’s conference felt particularly timely, as delegates discussed ways to transition towards sustainable lifestyles in a changing climate.

We asked Surrey’s leading environmental psychologists, all of whom are members of our Environmental Psychology Research Group, to give us their highlights of the conference.

One of the highlights was the sense of community that we experienced during the conference. I have heard so many people comment on the number of new connections they made. There was a really exciting, positive atmosphere with people smiling, laughing and chatting everywhere. The size of the cohort, the setting and the weather definitely helped. But I think we created a unique welcoming atmosphere that many people commented on and that was very much appreciated.

Another highlight was the high quality of many of the talks that I listened to. There was some exceptional work presented by early career researchers and students on topics ranging from heat and wellbeing, to place attachment, and energy consumption. A session on the human aspects of extreme heat was particularly topical as some conference delegates had experienced severe transport issues due to heat when travelling to the conference.

The third highlight was most definitely the keynote speakers. I heard so many positive comments on these talks, which were not just interesting, but inspiring, and sometimes challenging, making us all think differently. Professor Birgitta Gatersleben, Professor of Environmental Psychology

My highlight was being able to showcase the diversity of topics and methods that characterise people–environment research, including many novel approaches that are highly relevant to today’s societal and environmental challenges (e.g. heat, flooding, biodiversity, and just transitions). We could see that this had a big impact on attendees; as one wrote in our feedback survey, ‘For me it was a total learning experience as I am new in the field. I got a real sense of themes and emerging ideas as well as a sense of the methods and styles underpinning work being done.’ This was particularly meaningful as Surrey has been at the forefront of environmental psychology, and people–environment research more widely, since the 1970s. It’s a full circle moment to see so many new and early career researchers entering the field who have found their community here at Surrey. Dr Eleanor Ratcliffe, Associate Professor in Environmental Psychology

It was really lovely to have the IAPS Conference on our home turf and to welcome everyone to Surrey. I facilitated the Early Career Researchers Workshop, which 20 doctoral students and nine expert mentors attended at the start of the week. It was so impressive to listen to the presentations, hear the collegiate discussions and questions for each talk, and to watch the friendships and networks grow on that day. The support between the students was wonderful to see and continued throughout the rest of the conference week, forging long-lasting friendships and connections that will carry on for some throughout their academic career. It was a pleasure to be part of that burgeoning journey in their careers. Dr Sarah Payne, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Psychology

For me, a personal highlight was welcoming the event back to Surrey for the first time since 1979. Surrey is the ‘home’ of UK environmental psychology, so it felt particularly special to see IAPS return to our campus. In my role as Co-Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Environmental Psychology Section, I greatly enjoyed networking with environmental psychology communities from Australia, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Sweden, Germany, Japan and France, and learning about the different ways our research community operates around the world. All keynote speakers were engaging, inspiring and thought-provoking; I am especially delighted key speaker, Prof Jenny Roe, signed my copy of her Restorative Cities book! It was also wonderful to showcase Surrey’s excellent facilities, with many delegates finding moments of psychological restoration through walks around the lake. Dr Melissa Marselle, Lecturer in Environmental Psychology

Find out more about IAPS 2026, including the keynote speakers and programme schedule.

Find out more about Surrey's Environmental Psychology MSc.

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Featured Academics

Prof Birgitta Gatersleben

Professor of Environmental Psychology

Dr Eleanor Ratcliffe

Associate Professor in Environmental Psychology

Dr Sarah Payne

Senior Lecturer in Environmental Psychology

Dr Melissa Marselle

Lecturer in Environmental Psychology