The EAOHP Education Forum is organising Early Career Sessions for PhD students and young researchers undertaking research in main topic areas of Occupational Health Psychology. Eligible to apply are PhD students of all years, at different stages of completion of their thesis, and early researchers just after completion of their PhD.

The Early Career Sessions are closed sessions for those participating and include roundtable discussions that will be organised around main Occupational Health Psychology themes. Participants will be assigned to groups based on their main research interests. During the roundtable discussion, participants will provide a brief (max. 10 minute) presentation of their research, which will be followed by open discussion. Roundtable discussions will be facilitated by senior scholars, who are specialised in the specific themes and who will provide feedback to participants.

The aim of the Early Career Sessions is to provide early career researchers with an informal context to get feedback on their work by a leading scholar in the field, and also to facilitate networking with other PhD students.

This year, one Early Career Session will be dedicated to the memory of Professor Karina Nielsen, whose pioneering work in Occupational Health Psychology and dedication to improving working lives have left a lasting mark on the field. Reflecting her passion for evidence-based practice and her commitment to supporting early career researchers, this special session will focus on intervention studies in Occupational Health Psychology. All submissions to the Early Career Sessions that address interventions will be automatically considered for inclusion in this session. The session will also include contributions from senior scholars in the field, who will share insights and guidance to help foster the next generation of researchers. This will be the only Early Career Session open to the wider conference audience, offering an opportunity for the community to honour Karina’s legacy and continue the important work to which she devoted her career.

Who should apply for the Early Career Sessions?

Early career researchers (i.e., PhD students or researchers right after the completion of their PhD) may apply for the Early Career Sessions. While submitting their abstract, interested participants must indicate whether it should be considered for the Early Career Sessions. These sessions will be part of the conference’s main programme and there will be no extra fee for conference participants. Given that limited places are available, if necessary, participants will be selected based on topic similarity.

Only submissions with a complete registration by April 2026 (including payment of the registration fee) to attend the conference onsite will be considered for the Early Career Sessions.