Call for Symposium Proposals

by | | ISOP meetings, ISOP Newsletter

A green circle with two smaller white outline circles inside green circle. The words Protistology Open 2026 Prhah in white between the two white circles. A protist is in the center of the green cirllce

The Protistology Open conference will be held 19–23 April 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic. ISOP will sponsor 2 symposia at this conference, each consisting of 3-6 speakers. 6,000 USD will be allocated per symposium. We encourage topics that address broad areas of research, rather than focusing on a particular taxon.

Only active symposium speakers are eligible for travel reimbursement. Maximum travel reimbursement is 1,500 USD per person.

Proposals should consist of a single page as follows:

  1. Symposium title.
  2. Proposers – 1 or 2, who MUST be current ISOP members.
  3. Summary of symposium theme (<300 words), explaining the importance and relevance/timeliness of the topic.
  4. Short-list of 3-6 gender-balanced potential speakers, with affiliations and a couple of recent references or a sentence that rationalizes each potential speaker. At least one of the potential speakers must be an early-career researcher (e.g., student or postdoc), and we also encourage the inclusion of leaders in the given field. The speakers do not need to be ISOP members. The proposers can be speakers. No person can be listed as a potential speaker on more than one symposium application.
  5. Indicate if the speakers have agreed in-principle, and that they understand they will only be partially reimbursed.
  6. Indicate if the speakers will submit a symposium (or mini) review to the Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology (free page charges).
  7. References can be listed on a second page.

Send proposals to micah.dunthorn@nhm.uio.no with the subject line “ISOP 2026 meeting symposium proposal” by 10 December 2025.

The ISOP Programme Committee will evaluate the submitted proposals. The main criteria will be:

  1. Excellence and timeliness.
  2. Distinctiveness from previous ISOP-funded symposia.
  3. Intention to submit a symposium (or mini) review by some or all of the supported speakers to the Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology.
  4. Interaction with other activities associated with the conference.

Successful proposals will be announced by 19 December 2025.

Successful proposers will be required to arrange speakers, chair the symposium, and apportion financial support (subject to oversight by the Programme Committee). The Programme Committee reserves the right to change the suggested speakers. If you have additional questions, please contact micah.dunthorn@nhm.uio.no

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