Summary: IAVCEI 2025 Scientific Assembly
The 2025 IAVCEI Scientific Assembly took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 29 June to 4 July 2025, under the theme “The energies of magma: From volcanic eruptions and mineral resources to geothermal production and sustainability.” The meeting brought together the international volcanology community for a week of scientific sessions, workshops, commission and network meetings, and social events. Below, we share an ECR-Net perspective from the Assembly, reflecting on the event from the viewpoint of early-career researchers and the opportunities it provided for connection, exchange, and community building.
You can find out more about the Assembly on the official website:
https://sa2025.iavceivolcano.org/
Below is an article highlighting the viewpoint of one of our ECR-Net members, originally published in the IAVCEI newsletter.
ECR Perspective: The IAVCEI Scientific Assembly – Geneva 2025
Blaise Mafuko Nyandwi
School of Volcanology and Disaster Risk Management, University of Goma
I am Dr Blaise Mafuko Nyandwi, a researcher and lecturer at the School of Volcanology and Disaster Risk Management of the University of Goma, in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Recently, I had the honour of participating for the very first time, as an Early Career Researcher (ECR), in the IAVCEI Scientific Assembly held in Geneva. This was both an enriching and decisive experience for my career, and was marked by many discoveries within the international volcanological community.
My experience was particularly meaningful because, since defending my PhD thesis in October 2023, I have been working in an insecure context in my country and had not yet had the opportunity to take part in an international conference to share my research. The diversity of topics addressed during this assembly, as well as the recent advances in various fields of volcanology, made the experience all the more valuable.
I made several observations. On the one hand, I was pleased to discover the breadth of work carried out on volcanic hazard assessment and became aware of the importance of the different commissions within IAVCEI, the scope of which I had not realised before. On the other hand, I was surprised to note the limited representation of research focused on volcanic risk assessment and management, particularly those integrating human dimensions. The dominance of physical volcanology was clearly more pronounced than that of applied risk-related sciences.
Another concerning observation was the under-representation of scientists from the Global South, particularly from Africa. For this reason, I wish to sincerely thank the organisers for their efforts in mobilising travel grant funding, which allowed the participation of researchers from the Global South. For me, personally, this support was crucial, as for the past three years I have been conducting research in a volcanic zone affected by armed conflict.
This assembly also marked a decisive step in my career. It strengthened my conviction in the importance of my research at the intersection of society and the volcanic environment, aimed at developing more effective strategies for risk mitigation. For example, I presented a paper on the human dimensions of volcanic risk exposure, highlighting:
- How communities reoccupy recent lava flows, such as those from the 2021 Nyiragongo eruption, thereby recreating exposure conditions;
- How some populations deliberately choose to settle in areas of high magmatic CO₂ emissions, locally known as mazuku.
My presentation concluded with the screening of a documentary illustrating the daily experiences of the people of Goma, who live under the constant threat of a volcanic eruption.
As I have already mentioned, very few presentations or posters focused on the human aspects of volcanic risk. However, my exchanges with other researchers at the Scientific Assembly revealed a growing interest in these practical dimensions of volcanology. This confirms the need to strengthen such approaches, which complement physical volcanology and provide essential value in understanding and managing risk.
In short, the IAVCEI Scientific Assembly in Geneva not only marked a turning point in my career as an ECR, but also gave me renewed momentum to continue my work, after several particularly difficult months linked to armed conflict that hindered concentration and the development of scientific research in my region.
Upcoming: IAVCEI Scientific Assembly 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland
We are happy to announce that there will be TWO opportunities to showcase Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and their work at the IAVCEI Scientific Assembly 2025! The ECR plenary session is new to IAVCEI and was first implemented during the 2023 IAVCEI Scientific Assembly meeting with a resounding success. For the upcoming conference, we continue this new tradition and add even more time for ECRs to highlight their research in a special dedicated session.
The first opportunity: Plenary Session
In addition to the typical senior plenary sessions, a half-hour session will also be held each day to showcase excellent early-career researchers. One researcher will showcase their work in each half-hour session. There will be a total of 4 ECR plenary speakers throughout the week. The proposed topic should be in addition to an abstract submission and should be broader in scope than a typical conference presentation. We are particularly interested in topics that complement the senior plenary presentations (listed below), though presentations on all volcanological topics are welcome!
- Recent unrest at Taal Volcano, Philippines; insights from a complex geological and social environment (Mariton Bornas)
- The laws of magma propagation by diking and what we can learn about volcanoes by applying them (Eleonora Rivalta)
- Minerals, fluids, metals and mining – what might the future of resourcing a sustainable world look like? (Richard Herrington)
- The dynamics of volcano-hydrothermal systems – hazards, energy and mineral resources, and extreme forms of life (Shaul Hurwitz)
The second opportunity: The Future of Volcanology
In addition to the plenary sessions, there will also be a 30-minute session each day titled “Theme 8: The Future of Volcanology”. This is an excellent opportunity for ECRs to discuss how they push the boundaries of our current understanding of volcanology with their research and what the future of volcanology may look like! In this session, we invite applications for two 15-minute presentations each day, for a total of 8 speakers throughout the week.
For both of these opportunities, the researcher must have a PhD and be within 8 years of finishing their PhD or hold a professional job and have less than 8 years of professional volcano-related research experience. This time does not include parental or other relevant leave, with the 8 years counted up to 2025. We particularly encourage applications from historically under-represented groups. Please note that you must be attending in person to be considered and consider applying
for travel support grants (https://sa2025.iavceivolcano.org/travel-grants/). Applications are DUE on December 20th, 2024 and should be submitted via email to Alex Iezzi at aiezzi@usgs.gov, Sandy Drymoni at kyriaki.drymoni@min.uni-muenchen.de, and/or Joali Paredes-Mariño at joa.paredes.marino@auckland.ac.nz. If you want to apply to both session types, please submit two applications. A person can give a talk in a maximum of one of these sessions, which will be decided by the selection committee.
We ask for:
- Completion of the self-nomination application form which includes a summary of the intended topic, a list of supporting lead-author papers, and a motivation statement on why you should be chosen.
- A short CV (max. 2 pages) including your education and employment history.
Download the self-nomination application form below:
The review process will take into consideration the following points:
- Significance of your research
- Novelty of your proposed talk
- Application and communication of your research with the wider community
The review panel will also ensure that there is a gender, topic, and nationality balance in the speakers chosen.
For any questions about the ECR plenary session and application process please email Alex Iezzi at aiezzi@usgs.gov, Sandy Drymoni at kyriaki.drymoni@min.uni-muenchen.de, and/or Joali Paredes-Mariño at joa.paredes.marino@auckland.ac.nz.