ISHPSSB off-year workshops began in 2004 as a way for members of the ISHPSSB community to meet in smaller settings outside of the general meeting. Topics and themes have ranged from professional development to focused research topics. ISHPSSB invites proposals for Off-Year Workshops taking place during 2026.
In addition to traditional workshops, this cycle we are especially encouraging add-on workshops that meet adjacent to or incorporated with other meetings. Our committee identified some cognate meetings and societies to help prompt ideas for add-on workshops (see below).
ISHPSSB will help publicize sponsored Off-Year Workshops, provide advice and consultation for organizers, and include a description of the Workshop on society webpages. Limited funding is available to help offset graduate student travel costs for ISHPSSB members.
Consideration for funded proposals will begin November 15, 2025. Funded proposals received after this date will still be considered on a rolling basis while funds remain. Proposals for unfunded sponsorship are accepted through 2026. Please submit your proposals to Marshall Abrams at
ISHPSSB Off-Year Workshops should aim to:
- Drive new ISHPSSB membership;
- Engage and include current ISHPSSB members;
- Support and expand ISHPSSB diversity and inclusion goals;
- Promote professional development and mentoring;
- Pilot hybrid or other creative formats that might be used at general ISHPSSB meetings or future off-year workshops; or
- Embody and support ISHPSSB’s commitment to international, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research and community building.
Modalities of Off-Year Workshop proposals we encourage:
- Traditional off-year workshops, e.g., focused interdisciplinary ISHPSSB workshops that provide opportunities for members to continue engaging with each other in off-years, or aim to develop new interdisciplinary research communities. These are the most common proposals we receive and support;
- Add-on Workshops. Workshops adjacent to or incorporated with other workshops/conferences, especially meetings of cognate professional societies of biologists, historians, or social scientists. For example, invite biologists and other scholars attending that meeting to spend an extra day or evening at the meeting to focus on ISHPSSB topics, or work with meeting organizers to include an ISHPSSB session in the meeting. This is a great way to recruit new members to ISHPSSB! Click here to see a list of cognate societies and meetings identified by members of this committee.
- Professional Development Workshops. Examples include: Grant Writing Workshops; Building Interdisciplinary Research Networks; How to Write Op-Eds and Other Effective Public Outreach; Teaching ISHPSSB-Style Courses; etc.
- Expanding ISHPSSB’s Reach. We are especially interested in proposals that focus on expanding (a) regional inclusion; (b) disciplinary participation in ISHPSSB; or (c) other outreach efforts that support ISHPSSB diversity and inclusion goals. Workshops of this sort could be theme-based, or geographically focused with the aim of connecting researchers in a particular region. Regardless, one aim of these kinds of workshops should be bringing new members to ISHPSSB. We welcome proposals in a variety of modalities, e.g., in-person, hybrid, or virtual.
- Experimental Workshops. We encourage proposals that aim to utilize technology or non-traditional formats to re-think what off-year workshops might be or look like. We also encourage workshops that aim to pilot or test innovative approaches or formats that might be incorporated in our biennial meeting.
Proposal Instructions
Proposals should include the following information be submitted to Marshall Abrams at
- Name, Affiliation, and Contact Information for Workshop Coordinators
- Workshop website (if available)
- Proposed Workshop Topic (250 words)
This will be used to help promote your workshop, be included in ISHPSSB newsletters, and to archive your workshop on the ISHPSSB webpage. Write this to help us pitch your meeting to ISHPSSB members, e.g., what is the topic; are there elements of the organization that will be particularly unique or interesting; etc.
- Which Off-Year Workshop Goals Does This Target?
Workshops are not required to meet every aim listed above, but should meet at least some of them.
- Program Information (if available)
- Proposed Site (if applicable)
- Proposed Modality (in-person, hybrid, virtual, other; please describe)
- Proposed Dates
Organizers should consider whether there are conflicts with other meetings on similar topics. If so, they might consider proposing an add-on workshop.
- Funding Request
ISHPSSB funds are restricted to offsetting graduate student travel costs to your workshop for ISHPSSB members; ISHPSSB funds may not be used to fund other aspects of your workshop. Historically, funding has been limited to ~US$1,000 per workshop. Funding requests will be considered until the budget is exhausted.
Proposal Requirements
- Workshops may be organized around focused topics or broader themes, or have a clear professional development aim/audience. Regardless, the workshop should carry broad appeal to ISHPSSB membership and clearly meet the aims of Off-Year Workshops.
- Workshops should be open to all members of ISHPSSB.
- Workshops should be organized to reflect the Society’s ideals of interdisciplinarity and international research collaboration, and should promote open interactions between members from graduate students to senior faculty.
Consideration for funded proposals will begin November 15. Funded proposals received after this date will still be considered on a rolling basis while funds remain. Proposals for unfunded sponsorship are accepted through 2026. Please submit your proposals to Marshall Abrams at
If you have questions about hosting a workshop we strongly encourage you to reach out to the Off-Year Workshop Committee by contacting its Chair, Marshall Abrams (
Matt Haber and Marshall Abrams, outgoing resp. incoming Chair of the Off-Year Workshop Committee