Dubai Future Forum 2025

Members of The Explorers Club and EC50 took the stage November 17–18 at the 2025 Dubai Future Forum, engaging in timely conversations about how exploration and deepening our understanding of the natural world can help shape the future.

EC50 members contributed their expertise across several Forum panels, addressing topics from ocean research and the future of the poles to lessons drawn from animals and from history itself.

Featured speakers included five members of The Explorers Club 50:

Ulrike Pfreundt, ocean and coral conservationist, and Karim Iliya, photographer, were featured on the panel Ocean Breakthroughs, exploring new frontiers in marine science and storytelling about our oceans.

Alison Criscitiello, ice core scientist, was featured on the panel From Ice to Insights, The Future of Polar Regions, examining how polar research informs our understanding of a changing planet.

Salima Ikram participated in Time Travelers’ Lens alongside The Explorers Club President Richard Wiese, highlighting how archaeology and history offer critical insights for the future.

Elodie Freymann shared insights for Do We Need to “Re-Learn” From Nature?, a panel aligned with the Forum theme Reimagining Health, focused on how nature-based knowledge can inform human well-being.

We’re excited to announce that The Explorers Club will return to the Dubai Future Forum in 2026!