Programme

Speakers at The Vienna Conference on the Social Sciences (VCSS) will provide a variety of perspectives from different academic and professional backgrounds. This page provides details of featured presentations, the conference schedule and other programming. For more information about presenters, please visit the Speakers page.

Conference Outline

Friday, November 13, 2026Saturday, November 14Sunday, November 15Monday, November 16Tuesday, November 17

All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)

Location: Austria Vienna Center

09:00-10:00: Conference Check-in & Coffee | Hall G (Level 2)

10:00-10:25: Welcome Addresses & Recognition of IAFOR Scholarship Winners | Hall G (Level 2) & Online
Joseph Haldane, IAFOR, Japan

10:25-10:40: Special Address | Hall G (Level 2) & Online

10:40-11:10: Keynote Presentation | Hall G (Level 2) & Online
11:10-11:20: Q&A

11:20-12:20: Discussion Panel | Hall G (Level 2) & Online

12:20-12:30: Conference Photograph

12:30-14:30: Extended Break

14:30-14:55: Keynote Presentation | Hall G (Level 2) & Online
14:55-15:10: Q&A

15:15-16:30: Keynote Presentation and Discussion Panel | Hall G (Level 2) & Online

16:40-17:40: Welcome Reception & Conference Poster Session | Hall G (Level 2) (B1F)

20:00-22:00: Conference Dinner | Weiner Rathauskeller
This is a ticketed event

All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)

Location: Austria Vienna Center

08:30-08:45: Conference Check-in | Room 102 (1F)

08:45-09:15: IAFOR Information Session
This session provides an overview of what to expect at the conference, including guidance on preparing your presentation, publishing opportunities, and ways to engage with IAFOR. You will receive practical tips on setting up your presentation and understanding your role at the conference, including how to attract a larger audience to your session. We will also outline the publishing opportunities available, including how to submit your work to be published in the Conference Proceedings or IAFOR Journals. This session also offers a chance to explore the opportunities for deeper engagement, whether through networking with fellow delegates or getting involved more with IAFOR. Join us, and get ready to present, publish, and participate.

09:20-10:20: The Forum
Come share your thoughts and experiences as global educators and researchers with other international experts through interdisciplinary discussions designed to engage with on-the-cusp issues. Through this activity, you will be able to contribute to an academic and political debate that potentially holds the key to more peace and harmony among countries and within societies, which has been troubling policy-makers for decades due to its complex nature.

10:20-10:50: Networking Coffee Break

10:50-12:30: Onsite Parallel Session 1

12:30-12:45: Break

12:45-14:00: Onsite Parallel Session 2

14:00-14:30: Networking Coffee Break

14:30-16:10: Onsite Parallel Session 3

16:10-16:25: Break

16:25-17:40: Onsite Parallel Session 4

17:40-18:40: Cultural Workshop
This is a free event open to all registered delegates

All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)

Location: Austria Vienna Center

09:00-09:30: Conference Check-in | Level 2 Foyer

09:30-10:30: Featured Roundtable

09:30-10:30: Featured Roundtable

10:30-11:00: Networking Coffee Break

11:00-12:40: Onsite Parallel Session 1

12:40-12:55: Break

12:55-14:10: Onsite Parallel Session 2

14:10-14:40: Networking Coffee Break

14:40-16:20: Onsite Parallel Session 3

16:20-16:35: Break

16:35-17:50: Onsite Parallel Session 4

All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)

Location: Austria Vienna Center

08:30-09:30: Conference Check-in | Level 2 Foyer

09:30-11:10: Onsite Parallel Session 1

11:10-11:25: Short Coffee Break

11:25-13:05: Onsite Parallel Session 2

13:05-13:35: Extended Break

13:35-15:15: Onsite Parallel Session 3

15:15-15:30: Short Coffee Break

15:30-17:10: Onsite Parallel Session 4

17:15-17:30: Onsite Closing Session

All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)

Conference Venue: Online via Zoom

08:55-09:00: Message from IAFOR

09:00-10:40: Online Parallel Session 1

10:40-10:50: Break

10:50-12:05: Online Parallel Session 2

12:05-12:15: Break

12:15-14:20: Online Parallel Session 3

14:30-15:30: The Forum
Come share your thoughts and experiences as global educators and researchers with other international experts through interdisciplinary discussions designed to engage with on-the-cusp issues. Through this activity, you will be able to contribute to an academic and political debate that potentially holds the key to more peace and harmony among countries and within societies, which has been troubling policy-makers for decades due to its complex nature.

15:30-15:40: Closing Message from IAFOR

The above schedule may be subject to change.

Featured Speakers

To be announced

  • Michael Menchaca
    Michael Menchaca
    University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, United States
  • Christoph Thun-Hohenstein
    Christoph Thun-Hohenstein
    Future Platform ReGenerativa, Austria
  • Darrel Toulon
    Darrel Toulon
    Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität, Austria

Featured Presentations

To be announced

  • The Forum
    The Forum
    Come share your thoughts and experiences as global educators and researchers.

Accepted Presentations

One of the greatest strengths of IAFOR’s international conferences is their international and intercultural diversity. As of June 17, 2026, VCSS2026 has received over 324 submissions from 68 countries and territories - including: the United States, Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, Philippines, and Taiwan.

View Accepted Presentations

Conference Programme

The draft version of the Conference Programme will be available online on October 05, 2026. All registered delegates will be notified of this publication by email. The Conference Programme contains access information, session information and a detailed day-to-day presentation schedule.

Important Information Emails

All registered attendees will receive an Important Information email and updates in the run-up to the conference. Please check your email inbox for something from "iafor.org". If you can not find these emails in your normal inbox, it is worth checking in your spam or junk mail folders as many programs filter out emails this way. If these did end up in one of these folders, please add the address to your acceptable senders' folder by whatever method your email program can do this.

Michael Menchaca
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, United States

Biography

Dr Michael Menchaca is a Professor at the Department of Learning Design and Technology at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, United States. He specialises in distance education, and has designed, implemented, and coordinated online and hybrid programmes for over 20 years. He was an IT specialist for many years in the public and private sector. As an educator, he teaches and conducts research in the areas of online learning, technology integration, and social justice with technology. He currently serves as editor for the IAFOR Journal of Education: Technology in Education Edition.

Christoph Thun-Hohenstein
Future Platform ReGenerativa, Austria

Biography

Christoph Thun-Hohenstein is cultural manager, curator, and author at the interface of fine art, media art, design, architecture and ecology, climate, regeneration as well as digitalisation and artificial intelligence / superintelligence. He is Artistic Director of the Future Platform ReGenerativa, Austria.

After studying law, political science, and history of art at the University of Vienna, Austria, Dr Thun-Hohenstein worked for the Austrian Foreign Ministry and held posts in Abidjan, Geneva, and Bonn. He was Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum New York from 1999 to 2007. From 2022 to 2025, he was Director General for International Cultural Relations at the Austrian Foreign Ministry. From 2007 to 2011, he served as Managing Director of departure, the Creative Industries.

Agency of the City of Vienna. Dr Thun-Hohenstein also served as General Director and Artistic Director of the MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna from 2011 to 2021. He then founded the Vienna Biennale for Change, which he directed from 2014 until 2022. Most recently, he initiated the Vienna Climate Biennale and chaired the Advisory Board of the Vienna Climate Biennale.

Dr Thun-Hohenstein has published several books. His most recent book, Zukunftsmutig (Kremayr & Scheriau 2026, in German), was released earlier this year.

Keynote Presentation (2026) | TBA
Darrel Toulon
Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität, Austria

Biography

TBA

Panel Presentation (2026) | TBA
The Forum
Come share your thoughts and experiences as global educators and researchers.

The Forum is a plenary session designed as a platform for international, intercultural, interdisciplinary – and inclusive – discussions, joining experts and practitioners alike in an open dialogue format. Come share your thoughts and experiences as global educators and researchers.

The Forum will take place in two separate formats.
The Forum (Onsite) will be held at the venue and is exclusively for Onsite participants

The Forum (Online) will take place on the Online Day and is open to all Conference participants and IAFOR Members.

Overviews of the ideas, conversations, and key takeaways generated from the discussion at these sessions are recorded and archived in the Conference Report and Intelligence Briefing (ISSN: 2759-4939)