IRNOP 2026 PhD Day​​

2 June 2026, TU Delft, The Netherlands

Call for Submissions

The IRNOP 2026 invites doctoral researchers to join a vibrant PhD Day dedicated to exploring research, teaching and impact trajectories in the field of project studies. Building on the main conference theme, ‘Hopeful projects in response to radical uncertainty,’ this PhD Day focuses on how emerging scholars navigate the challenges and possibilities of conducting research in times of profound transformation. This day offers a space to reflect, learn, and connect around questions such as: 1) What methods, theories, and collaborations sustain us through the PhD journey? 2) How can we publish, review, and position our ideas to contribute meaningfully to the field of project studies?

Programme Overview

- 09:00–09:30 – Welcome & Introductions

- 09:30–10:15 – Fire in your belly: Building a solid platform and sustaining your PhD journey - Shankar Sankaran (UTS Australia)

- 10:20 -11:05 – Trends in Project Management: Implications for doctoral researchers - Lynn Crawford (University of Sydney, Australia)

- 11:05 - 12:00 - Reviewer Development Workshop: What doctoral researchers can and should learn - Francesco Di Maddaloni (UCL, UK) and Vedran Zerjav (NTNU, Norway)

- 12:00 - 13:00 – Lunch break

- 13:00 - 15:25 – Paper development workshop - Johan Ninan/Yan Liu/ Marina Bos-de Vos (TU Delft, the Netherlands), Tomas Blomquist (Umeå School of Business, Sweden)

- 15:30 - 16:25 - Talks by Editors-in-Chief of leading project management journals - Martina Huemann (UCL, UK), Jonas Söderlund (BI, Norway), Nathalie Drouin (ESG UQAM, Canada), Francesco Di Maddaloni (UCL, UK)

- 16:30 - 17:00 – Reflections & Closing

Certificates of completion will be issued to participants who require them.

We invite PhD students at all stages of their journey to submit a short abstract (max. 500 words) outlining a paper, study idea, or research question that they would like to discuss and develop during the day. References may be included but will not count toward the 500-word limit. Please submit your abstracts by email to J.Ninan@tudelft.nl.

Key dates

● Submission deadline: 15 February 2026

● Notification of acceptance: 15 March 2026

Fees for doctoral symposium: €50 (Fee excludes participation in the conference).

IRNOP PhD Day organising committee: Johan Ninan, Paul Chan, Eleni Papadonikolaki, Marina Bos-de Vos, Alfons van Marrewijk, Wijnand Veeneman