Call for Abstracts: 2026 Ocean Sciences Meeting

SOS invites abstract submissions to the session “Navigating Boundaries and Power in Transdisciplinary Ocean Research: Towards ‘the Science We Need for the Ocean We Want'” that we are co-organising at the 2026 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland on 22–27 February 2026. The deadline for abstract submissions is August 20.

HC009: Navigating Boundaries and Power in Transdisciplinary Ocean Research: Towards ‘the Science We Need for the Ocean We Want’

Understanding and managing the human–ocean relationship is essential to achieving sustainability, especially as ocean-based interventions like marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) and activities such as aquaculture, offshore wind, and marine spatial planning gain traction. In line with the ambitions of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development—to deliver the science we need for the ocean we want—this session explores how marine research can more effectively engage with the human dimensions of ocean sustainability and support just and effective ocean governance. We focus on the scientific, conceptual, and methodological challenges of addressing human–ocean connections in basic and applied research, including social-ecological systems, interdisciplinary integration, and inclusive rights and stakeholder engagement. We are particularly interested in contributions that critically examine the power dynamics that shape whose knowledge counts, whose voices are heard and how decisions are made in the science–policy–society interface. We also invite contributions with a specific focus on the experiences of transdisciplinary ocean sustainability science. 

Key topics include (but are not limited to):

  • Methods and frameworks for participatory, transdisciplinary marine research
  • Translating knowledge into policy and practice (knowledge-to-action)
  • Case studies of stakeholder engagement in ocean interventions
  • Case studies of transdisciplinary ocean knowledge production 

The deadline for abstract submissions is August 20 and decisions will be given in mid-October.

Before submitting, please read the general guidelines for abstract submissions.

Submit an abstract for this session

Primary Chair

  • Alexandra Atlee Phillips (University of California Santa Barbara)

Co-chairs

  • Nina Tynkkynen (Åbo Akademi University)
  • Mattias Rolf Cape (Environmental Defense Fund)
  • Michael Gilek (Södertörn University)

About The Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM)

The Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) is a unique gathering designed to foster connection and collaboration among researchers and solution scientists in the greater ocean-connected community. Every two years, scientists from across the globe gather together to share the latest research findings, collaborate on solutions, and make lasting partnerships with the goal of advancing scientific knowledge and impacts.

The Ocean Sciences Meeting is an Endorsed Decade Action program with the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), and The Oceanography Society (TOS), OSM welcomes a diverse community of scientists, students, journalists, policymakers, educators and organizations who are working toward a world where scientific discovery leads to scientific solutions, and where our global collaborations and partnerships can carry us into a sustainable future.