July 2026 AIESEP Newsletter
The 2026 AIESEP World Congress in Taipei was a major success. We hosted 505 scholars from 50 countries and 22 PhD Students attended the 2nd AIESEP PhD Summer School which was supported by the Spectrum Institute for Teaching and Learning. We now set our sights on the specialist seminar in Brazil Dec 2-3rd, and the AIESEP 2027 Conference in Eindhoven, Netherlands in July 2027. In the fall, AIESEP will launch a formal mentoring program, welcome a new board of directors, provide on-demand on-line professional development for members, publish past conference keynote recordings, and open up the bidding process for AIESEP 2029 and 2030!
You can follow all AIESEP updates on our LinkedIn which is where you can find AIESEP Connect event links (the next one is October 30th). We are now also on Instagram! You can also catch up on position announcements, calls for papers, and other information on our constantly updated blog.
Election Information
At the 2026 World Congress AIESEP members voted for a new board of directors who will serve a 4-year term (2026-2030). The new AIESEP President is Dr. Tristan Wallhead (University of Wyoming, USA), and the Secretary General is Risto Marttinen (George Mason University, USA). There were 6 institutional board members and 6 individual board members elected.
The 6 individual board members who were elected are:
- Aspasia Dania (University of Athens, Greece)
- Carla Luguetti (University of Melbourne, Australia) *Elected by the board as Vice President
- Deniz Hünük (Hacettepe University, Turkiye)
- Kevin Andrew Richards (University of Illinois, USA)
- Ove Østerlie (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway)
- Sue Whatman (Griffith University, Australia)
The 6 institutional members who were elected are:
- National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan (Ching-Wei Chang)
- Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Luis Miguel García López)
- University of Lisbon (João Martins)
- University of Liege (Alexandre Mouton) *Elected by the board as Treasurer
- University of Jyväskyla (Kasper Salin)
- Deakin University (Dylan Scanlon & Cassandra Iannucci)
AIESEP would like to sincerely thank Fiona Chambers, the outgoing president for her exceptional leadership and for her service on the board and for her service as the Secretary General before she was President. This transition also says goodbye to outgoing board members for which we all owe a debt of gratitude: Attilio Carraro (16yrs of service), Erin Gerlach (12 years), Zuzanna Mazur (8 years), Carla Vidoni (4 years), Kristy Howells (4 years), and Menno Slingerland (4 years). Thank you for your service to AIESEP!
On-Demand Professional Development Video Series for Members
AIESEP has launched the first of 10 on-demand professional development videos. New videos will be launched once a month. They can be found in the members corner (after you log-in). Here is the direct link once you’re logged in. https://aiesep.org/
Past Keynotes Available and Historic Archive of Cagigal Lectures
AIESEP has secured keynote recordings from the past few conferences. In total, you can find 10 keynotes in the member’s corner. The Taipei keynotes will be added in a few weeks. We have also located the working papers and/or slides from all Cagigal Lectures since 2001. These can be found in the member’s corner (after you’ve logged in).
A Specialist Seminar in Brazil: Physical Education and Sports Pedagogy for Sustainable Development
AIESEP is hosting a specialist seminar in Vitoria, Brazil at the Federal University of Espirito Santo December 2-3rd, 2026. There were 76 submitted abstracts and registration will open in a few weeks. Stay tuned to the AIESEP Blog for more information on the specialist seminar. This specialist seminar aims to produce a co-designed position statement from the gathering in Brazil. You can find more information about the specialist seminar here: https://www.ul.ie/ehs/pess/
AIESEP 2027 will be held in Eindhoven, Netherlands
The AIESEP 2027 conference has released dates and a theme. The conference will run July 12-16th, 2027 and will be hosted by Fontys University in Eindhoven, Netherlands! The theme of the conference is: “Bridging the gap from theory to everyday practice in physical education” The website for the conference is live https://aiesep2027.org/ Abstracts are due December 1st. Check out the new formats for submissions which include: Research-to-Practice Lab and Match-Making Session. Traditional oral, poster and symposium sessions in addition to pre-conference sessions are also accepted. Due dates for Early Career Scholar Awards (within first 3 years post PhD), and Developing Country Scholar Awards are due Dec 1st.
How to sign up for AIESEP Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Looking to connect with researchers who share your interests? AIESEP Special Interest Groups (SIGs) offer opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow within a global community. First, make your AIESEP Member Profile: As an AIESEP member you can now create your own personal member profile! You can use it to connect with other members, read or post articles, blogs and recorded presentations, or maybe to provide updates on projects or look for that person during the last AIESEP conference who gave that inspiring paper. Go to the Member’s Corner on the AIESEP website and click on Community or directly by clicking here. Here is a link to directions on how to sign up as a member of a SIG
AIESEP Connect Will Return in October
The next AIESEP Connect will be held on October 30th. It will focus on Primary Physical Education and will be hosted by the Primary PE SIG. The new board is re-configuring some aspects of the AIESEP Connect to better reflect regional interests and make time-zone management simpler. Stay tuned!
A Note from the Spectrum of Teaching Styles
The Spectrum Institute is providing it’s second year of the Sara Ashworth Graduate Student Assistantship Scholarship award for the upcoming year. Apply by July 31st! Requirements are you must be pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree, have a Spectrum-based academic advisor, complete the competitive application process, and research & present a Spectrum of Teaching Styles study. You’ll find further information and the application packet here: https://
Want to Host AIESEP in 2029 or 2030?
AIESEP is looking for future conference hosts! Our bidding process is officially open for the 2029 conference and the 2030 World Congress. You can contact Carla Luguetti carla.luguetti@unimelb.edu.au for more information on the bidding process. Bids are due February 16th, 2027.
Donations
AIESEP is now accepting donations to support future developing country scholars. We have created a page on the website that shares information about how to donate and how your donation makes a difference https://aiesep.org/donation/
Sincerely,
Risto Marttinen
Secretary General AIESEP
Associate Professor
George Mason University
rmarttin@gmu.edu
