PhD Conference on Sustainable Development 2026

The conference is organised by the Agenda 2030 Graduate School at Lund University and 2026 marks the sixth edition of this PhD conference on sustainable development. Over the years, it has become an important meeting place for doctoral students interested in sustainability in its broadest sense.

Theme: Beyond Agenda 2030

This year’s conference invites participants to think beyond current timelines, disciplinary boundaries and policy frameworks.

A global agenda for sustainable development has its roots deep in the 20th Century and will extend far beyond the current timeline, even if it has, and will continue to go through significant, even radical change. This year’s conference is dedicated to sustainable development beyond current frames, be it in terms of timeline, disciplinary or interdisciplinary conceptualisations, or policy. And if you are working on SDGs as they currently exist, you are more than welcome too! We hope you would like to join this important conversation.

The conference will open with a keynote by Johannes Stripple, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, Lund University, whose work on environmental governance and future-oriented sustainability thinking resonates with this year’s theme ‘Beyond Agenda 2030’. His talk, “Environmental Politics After the Future: From Earth System Governmentality and Agenda 2030 to BiberAmt”, will explore changing approaches to environmental governance and adaptation in a world increasingly shaped by uncertainty and transformation.

What can you submit?

We welcome papers, panels, posters, workshops, roundtable discussions, knowledge-sharing sessions, artistic or cultural activities, exhibitions, videos, living labs, or other creative formats.

Important: Your submission does not need to be connected to this year’s theme, Beyond Agenda 2030.

The key requirement is that the contribution relates to sustainable development in some way and helps advance understanding, practice, or collaboration for a more sustainable future.

Whether your research focuses on environmental, social, economic, cultural, political, technological, or other sustainability-related issues, we would love to hear from you.

Submit your idea

Deadline: 27 August 2026

Submit your idea for the PhD Conference on Sustainable Development 2026. Read more about the conference and the different formats for contributions on the Agenda 2030 Graduate School website:

PhD Conference on Sustainable Development, 13 October 2026 | Agenda 2030 Graduate School

Not sure what to submit?

If you are uncertain about whether your idea fits the conference or what format would work best, feel free to contact the Agenda 2030 Graduate School research coordinator Ylva van Meeningen, ylva [dot] van_meeningen [at] mgeo [dot] lu [dot] se (ylva[dot]van_meeningen[at]mgeo[dot]lu[dot]se), or coordinator Markus Gunneflo, markus [dot] gunneflo [at] jur [dot] lu [dot] se (markus[dot]gunneflo[at]jur[dot]lu[dot]se).

We are happy to discuss ideas and help you find a suitable conference format.

Save the date & registration

The conference is free of charge and will take place at Geocentrum II, Sölvegatan 12, in Lund on 13 October 2026. 

Registration opens on 1 September 2026. We hope you will join us for a day of inspiring discussions, new connections and fresh perspectives on sustainable development.

Who can participate in the conference?

All PhD students at Lund University with an interest in sustainable development are welcome. Subject to available places, master’s students and PhD students from other universities may also participate.