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2026 Conference information

 

Conference Dates / Location

  • Dates: August 5-8, 2026
  • Location: Utrecht University, Netherlands

 

Pre-registration

 

AIS conference student travel grants

Call for Applications: AIS Conference Travel Subvention for Graduate Students (2026 Conference Cycle)
 
The Association for Iranian Studies (AIS) invites full-time graduate students pursuing research in Iranian Studies to apply for a limited number of conference travel grants to support attendance at the AIS Biennial Conference in 2026. These travel grants are intended to help students participate fully in the conference by offsetting transportation and hotel accommodation costs directly related to conference attendance. In selecting awardees, AIS will pay special attention to applicants demonstrating financial need. In keeping with AIS policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion, priority will be given to applicants from disadvantaged or marginalized communities (for example, low-income backgrounds or first-generation students).
 
Award Details

  • Each travel subsidy will not exceed $500
  • Funds may be used only for:
    • transportation
    • hotel accommodation directly related to the AIS Biennial Conference
  • Conference registration fees will be waived for recipients of AIS travel grants

Application Requirements
Applicants should submit:

  • A brief statement (maximum 300 words) detailing the nature of their financial need
  • A description of their engagement at the conference (for example: paper presenter, discussant, chair)
  • The title of the panel, paper session, or roundtable
  • An itemized budget of estimated trip expenses
  • Disclosure of any other sources of funding anticipated or already received

In addition, applicants must arrange for:

  • One academic reference to be sent separately to the email address below by the application deadline

The applicant’s name should appear in the subject line of the recommendation email. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the recommendation is submitted on time.
 
Deadline
Applications are due by May 30, 2026
Successful applicants will be notified by June 10, 2026
 
Submission Instructions
Applications must be submitted by email attachment only to:
travelgrants@associationforiranianstudies.org
 
Important Note
Payments will normally be made by check or electronic bank transfer. Students receiving funds by bank transfer will later be asked to provide their banking details, home address, and citizenship information. Please note that Iranian citizens are not eligible to receive travel grants due to sanctions regulations.

 

Call for Papers

The Association for Iranian Studies (AIS) and The Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Utrecht University, The Netherlands invite proposals in all subfields of Iranian Studies for the 15th Biennial Conference of Iranian Studies to be held at Utrecht University from 5th to 8th August, 2026. AIS encourages works grounded in the humanities and social sciences which probe new scholarly approaches to Iranian Studies, broadly defined (including, but not restricted to, Iran’s historical borderlands, the wider Persophone World, and the Iranian expatriate communities of Europe and beyond). The primary language of the conference will be English, though we hope to have a small number of panels in Persian.

About Proposals

Paper proposals must be limited to 300 words and must present succinct scholarly outlines of the central themes, sources, and main arguments of the presentations. Pre-arranged panels will be the norm for this conference. Preferably, panels will consist of four papers, though panels with three papers will be considered. Panel organisers should complete the appropriate panel registration form online, and each presenter will need to submit their own paper proposal forms for their panel. Individual paper proposals are discouraged. Anyone seeking to propose an individual paper should contact the Programme Committee chairs in the first instance.

We request that all those proposing papers for the conference remain mindful of the Association’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (https://associationforiranianstudies.org/about), especially when proposing panels. The completed paper and panel proposal forms must be submitted electronically through the AIS website. The forms for both paper and panel proposals can be accessed on the AIS website (for instructions on how to submit, please visit here). Membership and preregistration are prerequisites for submission and participation.

To become a member of AIS and to register, please click here: https://associationforiranianstudies.org/membership.
For further information or any questions, please contact: Biennial26@associationforiranianstudies.org

Panel convenors should also submit a short panel proposal (of no more than 300 words) detailing the main theme of the panel, and indicating how the individual presentations relate to that subject. Panel members must submit a brief bio (of no more than 150 words), and an abstract of their paper (of no more than 300 words), outlining the central themes, sources, and main argument of the presentation.

Participants can only present a paper on one panel and serve as a chair or discussant on one additional panel.

Deadlines

The deadline for submissions has been extended to Monday, October 20, 2025. .

Adjudication

Panels will undergo a peer-review process by a Programme Committee of scholars led by co-chairs, Professor Dominic Parviz Brookshaw (Oxford) and Professor Asghar Seyed-Gohrab (Utrecht). The names and academic affiliations of the other members of the Programme Committee will be published on the AIS website after the closing of the submissions process. All applicants will be notified of the status of their proposal in December 2025, so that the approved candidates will have sufficient time to arrange funding through their institutions, and to apply (if necessary) for a Netherlands visa. It should be noted that online presentations will not be possible.

Contact Information

Website technical problems  admin@associationforiranianstudies.org

General inquiries director@associationforiranianstudies.org

For all inquiries in regard to the conference logistics contact the program chair at Biennial26@associationforiranianstudies.org