Dear SIPS members,
We wanted to share an update with you about the SIPS 2026 in-person meeting. As some of you may know, before the most recent US election, the SIPS Executive Committee (EC) had voted to hold SIPS 2026 in Washington DC, USA. Since then, there have been many changes in the political landscape in the US. Those based in the US may be impacted by changes to their research funding and opportunities for collaboration. These changes have also impacted travel into the US, with consequences both for those based outside of the US wishing to travel into the US, and those based in the US but who are not US-citizens upon re-entry to the US following travel abroad.
Due to many of these concerns, the SIPS EC has been debating whether or not to move forward with holding the in-person conference in DC. As the conference takes a long time to plan, it was not feasible to switch to another in-person location, leaving the options to hold the conference in DC (hybrid and/or alongside an online conference), or go fully online.
There were strong arguments on both sides, some of which are briefly summarised here:
- In favor of maintaining the in-person meeting in DC: no location is perfect, our members in the US shouldn’t be punished for the US government’s actions, our US-based colleagues need us more than ever in the current political climate, and in general our in-person conferences have had higher engagement.
- In favor of holding the conference fully online: an opportunity to trial the online-only format for the first time post-lockdown, it is more environmentally friendly, more equitable, and shows solidarity with US colleagues by allowing everyone to attend the same conference regardless of their location.
To help us make the decision, we ran “Future of SIPS” sessions at both online and in-person conferences, during which the DC conference was a big topic of discussion. We also chatted one-on-one with many SIPS members, and had lots of discussion among the leadership and organizing teams. After much back and forth, the EC has decided to move forward with holding the conference in person in Washington, DC, with an online option for those who can’t or don’t want to travel.
This was not an easy choice. We want to be clear that we are not encouraging anyone to travel internationally. Whether or not to attend the DC meeting is a personal decision, and the risks are real. The online portion of the conference will stay a priority so that everyone can join however they feel comfortable. We also welcome proposals for the organisation of smaller “pop-up” sessions locally, e.g., to coincide with the online conference. This could be a great way to connect with folks nearby. You can submit ideas for sessions through our existing SIPS pop-up events route.
Thanks to everyone who helped us figure this out. We’re excited for next year and hope to see many of you, whether in DC or online.
Best,
Priya Silverstein, President, SIPS
Yu-Fang Yang, Co-Chair, SIPS