Session Proposals

Session submission will open next week. 

Be a Session Chair at the Next SETAC Asia-Pacific 16th Meeting - Australasia

All it takes to propose a session is a passion for a specific area of environmental science. 

Session chairs and co-chairs are vital role to the success of the meeting. To propose a session, follow these steps:

  • Enlist the help of co-chairs; a maximum of two co-chairs is accepted.
  • Prepare a short write-up of the environmental topic for the session and the type of abstracts you hope to attract.
  • Learn more about the meeting scope and tracks to identify the track that best fits your session.
  • Read the session guidelines below and submit your session proposal by 17:00 AEST on Monday, 21 December 2026.

After the deadline, all proposals will be evaluated by the Program Committee. 

Guidelines

  • Format: 
    • Session title: max 150 characters (including spaces), using title case.
    • Session description/motivation: max 2500 characters (including spaces and any references),
    • Session chairs: Please list a maximum of three session convenors (Chair and up to 2 co-chairs). SETAC strongly encourages sector diversity and invites you to include students and early career researchers as co-chairs. 

Information for Session Chairs

Session proposals

  • After the session submission deadline, all session proposals will be evaluated by the Program Committee. Submitters will be informed by 21 January 2027 whether their session will be included in the call for abstracts. Where proposals overlap, chairs may be asked to revise their session descriptions or merge sessions before the call for abstracts opens, so that each session is distinct and attracts the right abstracts. 
  • Inclusion in the call for abstracts does not guarantee that a session will be programmed. In the three weeks following the abstract deadline, the Program Committee will review the number of abstracts submitted to each session and decide on the format and length of each session (number of time blocks). Sessions may be merged or cancelled if only a limited number of abstracts are received. The final session schedule will be confirmed in early May 2027. 

Abstract submission and review

  • Session organisers may actively solicit the submission of abstracts. Abstract submission will open on 6 February 2027. All abstracts must be submitted through the online abstract submission system by 14 April 2027, following the guidelines for abstracts. 

  • In early May, chairs of accepted sessions will be informed of the number of platform slots available to them. They will then have three weeks to review both solicited and non-solicited abstracts and organise their session by selecting papers for platform and poster presentations. Abstract acceptance notifications will be sent to authors by the end of May 2027. 

  • If session proposals are merged, the principal chairs from the original sessions will be asked to chair the merged session.

At the meeting 

  • The role of a session chair at the meeting is to give a short introduction at the start of the session, chair the session according to the general guidelines (available closer to the meeting), and give a brief summary of the presentations at the end of the session. Also, chairs are asked to provide a summary to be used for a conference highlights article in the SETAC Globe.
  • Session organisers and chairs are collaborating on a voluntary basis; their efforts are strongly appreciated and publicly recognised. However, the work does not include free registration or any other financial compensation. All session chairs must register for the meeting and pay the applicable registration fees.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact [email protected].