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In response to the climate and environmental emergencies, the Environmental Physics Group is convening a workshop to explore how the ‘below ground’ built environment actively shapes urban processes and contributes to climate challenges. This is not simply a discussion about natural systems — it is about how human interventions such as impermeable surfaces, buried infrastructure, and altered materials are transforming the physics of our cities in ways that intensify risk and undermine resilience.

This workshop is rooted in the belief that responding meaningfully to these emergencies requires a deeper engagement with the material and physical systems we have already modified. By rethinking how we design, manage, and inhabit both surface and subsurface environments, we aim to support more systemic, science-informed responses to the challenges ahead.

The format of the event will encourage cross-disciplinary discussion, with ample time for open conversation between physicists and those working across the built environment, climate science, engineering, and policy. A key outcome of the workshop will be the development of a position paper — setting out the relevance of this often-overlooked area of physics and making the case for greater interdisciplinary collaboration within and beyond the discipline of physics itself.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Dr Justie Mak, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London — speaking on Dust on the London Underground
• Professor Gerald Mills, Physical Geographer at University College Dublin — speaking on Global Urban Surface Cover and Its Climatic Impacts
• Dr. Helen Baron, hydrological modeller specialising in model development at The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology - speaking on Humans and groundwater
• Professor Alan Drew, Professor of Experimental Physics at Queen Mary University of London – speaking on a new radiation sensor technology and the potential for using them in environmental monitoring

We look forward to your participation in this insightful event, fostering a deeper appreciation of the physical layers that constitute our planet.