Janine Benyus is an innovative biologist whose work has popularised the concept of Biomimicry, which she describes as “innovation inspired by nature”. Through conferences, appearances in documentaries, consultancy work and the Biomimicry Institute she co-founded, she has popularised the idea that nature can inform our design thinking – particularly as we look to address the climate and biodiversity crises.

As she puts it, everything alive today is the product of billions of years of adaptation; a continuous process of research and development. This ongoing evolutionary process provides us with a phenomenal learning resource we can build on and mimic in designing everything from non-reflective materials to more efficient transport and renewable energy technology.