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The Sustainability Spotlight, together with IGFSD colleagues, had a follow-up event at WBS, to hear research initiatives from sustainability champions, and to discuss how best the spotlight can support them, in the course of the year. Initiatives came from PAIS, WBS, WMG, Stats, Law, and Economics, offering such a breadth and depth of sustainability research across the university! Thank you to all who joined us on the day, and to Cher and Tanya - for such an efficient (and yummy) organisation and lunch!

On 27 August 2025, Dr Feng Mao participated as a discussant in the panel discussion Geographies of Comparative Hydrology: Tools for Understanding River Basin Space-Time Patterns and Processes in a Changing World at the Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference.

Chaired by Professor David Hannah, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability) at the University of Birmingham, the session brought together leading scholars to explore the opportunities and challenges of comparative hydrology. This emerging field examines river basins across regions and scales, comparing hydrological processes such as floods, droughts, water quality, and regimes. By situating these processes in their geographical contexts, comparative hydrology helps researchers identify patterns, develop predictive tools, and inform sustainable water management strategies.

Dr Mao contributed insights on how comparative hydrological approaches can enhance understanding of water security and resilience under climate change, particularly through comparative studies, innovative data approaches, and the integration of global datasets with hyper-local contexts.

The discussion highlighted the vital role of comparative hydrology in shaping adaptive, location-specific responses to water-related challenges in a rapidly changing world.

IGSD had a network away day, with a facilitator Dr Paula Black, to review its strategy and identify roadmaps for growing further, including its Thematic and Honorary Fellows' networks. The Away Day took place at the Junction, and was informative as to ways forward, including how to better integrate and contribute to the Sustainability Spotlight Initiative, going forward.