IGU Commission for Young and Early Career Geographers is excited to invite young and early career geographers to submit abstracts to the two dynamic sessions at the IGU Regional Conference 2026, Istanbul:
1. Geographies of the Future: Emerging Perspectives from Young and Early Career Geographers
IGU-YECG & AGA-YGWG Best Paper Award Session
Organisers: Dr. Gaurav Sikka & Dr. Min Chen
This session welcomes innovative research addressing the spatial dimensions of our rapidly changing world, including: climate justice, urban and rural transformations, digital geographies, migration, geopolitics, decolonial perspectives, youth & culture, and sustainable development.
- Best Paper Award: 8,000 TRY (~USD 200) + letter of appreciation
Open to PhD students, postdocs, and early-career faculty presenting first-authored papers. Contributions from underrepresented regions are encouraged.
2. Geographies of Sustainability in Uncertain Times: Young Geographers’ Perspectives on AI Ethics and Shifting Research Agendas
Organisers: Gabriela Adina Moroșanu-Mitoseriu & Sinenhlanhla Memela
This interactive session explores how young geographers navigate the challenges of war, ecological breakdown, political instability, and technological acceleration. We welcome contributions on:
- Ethics of AI and emerging technologies in geographic research
- Changing agendas of sustainability and environmental governance
- Funding precarity and institutional pressures
- Tensions between ambition and limitation in contemporary geography
Special note: One presenter from a low-income country will receive a registration fee grant offered by the IGU-YECG Commission.
3. Accelerating transformations towards sustainable development goals: climate change and sustainable management of land systems
Organisers: Dr. Yuping Bai & Dr. Gaurav Sikka
This session encourages interdisciplinary research to fully assess the impacts of climate change on land systems, project future risks to land and food security, and explore pathways for sustainable land system management to effectively address the challenges of climate change and enhance food system resilience. We welcome contributions on:
- The interactions between land use change and climate change
- The impacts of climate change on land system and food security
- Multiscale management for GHG emissions reduction in land-use and food system
- Climate adaptation and land use system management
- Land restoration and carbon sequestration enhancement strategies
- Scenarios and potential future on coupling climate change with SDGs
Open to postgraduate students (PhD and MSc), postdocs, and early career researchers (within 10 years of completing a PhD).