Having moderated a few events for us since we connected with her in the days of the ETH Pavilion in Davos, it was high time to put Magdalena Skipper in the limelight as our special guest in the ETH Global Lectures Series. The Editor-in-Chief of Nature joined Nicolas Gruber, Head of the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich, to explore how an ecosystem perspective can strengthen research in our times of geopolitical uncertainty, growing complexity and the advent of AI.

Drawing on her experience as one of the most influential voices in scientific publishing, Magdalena offered a compelling analogy. Just as healthy natural ecosystems depend on diversity and interaction, so too does science:

“There is no healthy ecosystem out there that is not diverse.”

Thus, diversity goes far beyond demographics. Universities, industry, funders, publishers, policymakers and civil society all play distinct but interconnected roles. Nicolas, whose own work focuses on ocean ecosystems and the climate, immediately connected with the idea:

“It’s the interaction between the elements where the resilience comes from.”

That interaction was a recurring theme throughout the evening. Both speakers stressed that the major challenges facing society, from climate change to health and technology, cannot be solved in isolation. Collaboration across disciplines, institutions and borders remains essential.

Trust in a Fragmented World

A particularly thought-provoking part of the discussion focused on trust. As Magdalena noted, we live at a time when misinformation is increasing and confidence in institutions is being challenged. Yet scientific advances continue to shape almost every aspect of our lives. How do we maintain trust in science? Part of the answer, she argued, lies in engagement. Rather than communicating from an “ivory tower”, researchers must bring society into the conversation and explain not only what science discovers, but how it works. One of my favourite moments came when the discussion turned to curiosity. Reflecting on ETH Zurich’s recent Scientifica festival, Nicolas spoke about watching children delight in scientific discovery:

“We have a deeply intrinsic level of curiosity in us.”

To which Magdalena responded:

“We’re all born as scientists.”

Keeping Humans in the Loop

It would not be a Global Lecture in 2026 without talking about AI… Nicolas expressed concern that if researchers increasingly turn to AI for answers, they may lose some of the conversations and collaborations that often spark new ideas.

Magdalena shared an example from the world of scientific publishing. When researchers were surveyed about AI-assisted peer review, some early-career scientists said they would welcome AI-generated feedback because it felt kinder than comments from human reviewers. The comment sparked a wider reflection on research culture and professionalism. For Magdalena, the key challenge is ensuring that researchers remain in control:

“Let’s engage with it and make it into a tool that will be useful to us, but we continue to be in the driving seat.”

“Most of the time, things fail.”

The final part of the conversation focused on a topic that clearly resonated with the audience, judging by the number of question cards submitted. Magdalena argued that failure is not an exception in research: it is how research works. Experiments lead to dead ends. Hypotheses prove wrong. Papers are corrected. Yet these experiences are rarely discussed openly. Nicolas echoed this point from the perspective of research integrity, arguing that acknowledging mistakes should be recognised as a sign of strength rather than weakness. If researchers become too afraid of failure, they stop taking risks. And without risk-taking, truly transformative discoveries become less likely.

As the discussion drew to a close, I was struck by how relevant Magdalena’s ecosystem analogy felt. Diversity creates resilience. Collaboration strengthens discovery. Trust enables progress. And failure, uncomfortable as it may be, is often the path to innovation.

The future of science will depend not only on individual breakthroughs, but on the strength of the ecosystem that makes those breakthroughs possible.

Check out the pictures from the event here: Meet ETH Flickr

And see the recording below:

I hope this glimpse encourages you to come to a future event. I find that with our Global Lecture Series, we begin a new journey every time, giving ourselves pause to reflect on key topics on the global agenda and learning from individuals with remarkable clarity and foresight. I invite you all to come and join us! The next event will be on 12 November on the Future of Universities, with WEF Founder Klaus Schwab and ETH Zurich’s Stefano Brusoni.