The 17th Asian Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences (ACP2027)

The Asian Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences is an annual interdisciplinary gathering of educators and researchers from around the world, held as part of IAFOR’s Japan Conference Series and hosted in Tokyo in 2027.

Key Information
  • Location & Venue: Held in Tokyo, Japan, and online
  • Dates: Wednesday, March 31, 2027 ​to Sunday, April 04, 2027
  • Early Bird Abstract Submission Deadline: September 18, 2026*
  • Final Abstract Submission Deadline: December 11, 2026
  • Registration Deadline for Presenters: January 28, 2027

*Submit early to take advantage of the discounted registration rates. Learn more about our registration options.

International, Intercultural, Interdisciplinary

As part of IAFOR's Japan Conference Series, ACP2027 will be partnering with The 13th Asian Conference on Aging & Gerontology (AGen2027) and The 13th Asian Conference on Education & International Development (ACEID2027), increasing opportunities for broad multidisciplinary exchanges. Registration for the conference will allow delegates to attend any joint plenary session or parallel sessions as desired.

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Join us in Tokyo, Japan, for ACP2027

Welcome to The 17th Asian Conference on Psychology & Behavioral Sciences (ACP2027), held in partnership with the IAFOR Research Centre at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) at The University of Osaka.

In 2027, ACP celebrates its 17th anniversary. It has proven to be a great opportunity for engaging in interdisciplinary dialogue, speaking to scholars, and learning from other experts from around the world and from a variety of academic disciplines. The interdisciplinary and international focus of the conference draws world-class speakers and keeps people coming back year after year.

Established scholars have commented that the format of the conference allows them to share insights with younger researchers, and to learn from the next generation. Many of the works presented at ACP have been on the cutting edge, demonstrating presenters’ deep mastery of complex topics and proposing important new ideas. ACP2027 will undoubtedly continue this tradition of being a great place to learn and to network. It gives attendees the chance to build an interdisciplinary and global perspective on the study of psychology and behavioral sciences.

For this year’s conference, the Programme Committee has opted to leave the theme more open than in past years. There will be a number of streams and special sessions within the fields of psychology and behavioral sciences, but presenters will not be limited by any one, specific theme. It is hoped that this open format will encourage a broad range of submissions on a variety of related topics and encourage discussions across disciplines.

Held in partnership with the IAFOR Research Centre at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) at The University of Osaka, this international conference encourages academics and scholars to meet and exchange ideas and views in a forum stimulating respectful dialogue. This event will afford an exceptional opportunity for renewing old acquaintances, making new contacts, networking, and facilitating partnerships across national and disciplinary borders.

In conjunction with our Global Partners, we look forward to extending you a warm welcome in 2027.

– The Conference Committee

Present, Listen, Connect: Ways to Join

Whether you’re sharing your research or coming to learn, there’s a way to take part. Join us in person at in Tokyo, or take part online from anywhere. One registration gives you full access to all ACEID, ACP, and AGen sessions, plus recordings to catch up on afterwards.

However you join, you’ll be part of an international, interdisciplinary community. Last year that meant 890 delegates from 69 countries.

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Speakers

To be announced

  • Umberto Ansaldo
    Umberto Ansaldo
    VinUniversity, Vietnam
  • James W. McNally
    James W. McNally
    University of Michigan & NACDA Program on Aging, United States
  • Dexter Da Silva
    Dexter Da Silva
    Keisen University, Japan
  • Phyu Phyu Thin Zaw
    Phyu Phyu Thin Zaw
    Spring University Myanmar, Myanmar

IAFOR's Conference Themes for 2025-2029

IAFOR Themes 2025-2029
Our selected themes for 2025-2029 bring together ideas and encourage research and synergies in the following areas:

  • Technology and Artificial Intelligence
  • Humanity and Human Intelligence
  • Global Citizenship and Education for Peace
  • Leadership

    • Our four themes can be seen as standalone themes, but they are also very much in conversation with each other. Themes may be seen as corollaries, complementary, or in opposition/juxtaposition with each other. The themes can be considered as widely as possible and are designed, in keeping with our mission, to encourage ideas across the disciplines.

    Read Last Year's Conference Report

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    Umberto Ansaldo
    VinUniversity, Vietnam

    Biography

    Professor Umberto Ansaldo is currently Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at VinUniversity, Vietnam. He previously served as Head of the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry at Curtin University, Australia from 2021 through 2023, Head of the School of Literature, Art and Media at the University of Sydney, Australia from 2018 through 2020, and Head of the School of Humanities at HKU, where he taught from 2009 to 2018.

    Professor Ansaldo’s disciplinary roots are in linguistics, specifically in the study of language contact, linguistic typology, and language documentation. He is the author of four books to date (with CUP, OUP, Routledge, and Stockholm University Press), has edited or co-edited 11 volumes and journal special collections, and has authored multiple journal articles and book chapters. His most recent publication is the co-editorship of The Routledge Handbook of Pidgin and Creole Languages (Routledge, 2021).

    At HKU, Professor Ansaldo led the Humanities Area of Inquiry on the Common Core Curriculum Committee in HKU’s major revision of its curriculum (2010-2013), a time when, along with the University of Melbourne, Australia, HKU was leading in reimagining undergraduate curricula. As Chair of Linguistics, he was instrumental in establishing the Department within the top ten programmes in Linguistics (QS rankings), with the programme ranking at number one in Hong Kong.

    At the University of Sydney, Professor Ansaldo sat on the University Executive Research Committee and led his School through a transformative period in terms of curriculum innovation and research engagement. He was in charge of overseeing the incorporation of the Sydney College of the Arts into the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.

    Professor Ansaldo has secured competitive research grants and leveraged industry funding for the advancement of the humanities and social sciences throughout his career. One of his proudest achievements was his role in securing financial support to develop and host an exhibition on language and the brain, the ‘Talking Brains’ exhibition at the CosmoCaixa in Barcelona, Spain in 2017. This type of engagement and championing of the Humanities is what Umberto is most passionate about.

    Professor Ansaldo has lived and worked in Sweden, The Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong. and speaks seven languages, including Mandarin. He is well-acquainted with Asia and has conducted fieldwork in Muslim communities of the Indian Ocean, and has developed strong international networks in Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe.

    Previous Presentations

    Panel Presentation (2025) | Peace Education in Times of Conflict
    Keynote Presentation (2024) | Can Today’s Universities Contribute to a Better Future?
    Phyu Phyu Thin Zaw
    Spring University Myanmar, Myanmar

    Biography

    TBA

    Keynote Presentation (2027) | TBA
    Dexter Da Silva
    Keisen University, Japan

    Biography

    Professor Dexter Da Silva is Professor Emeritus at Keisen University in Tokyo, Japan, where he has been teaching for 35 years. He is an Educational Psychologist who has taught at junior high school, language schools, and universities in Sydney, Australia, and at various educational institutions in Japan. He was educated at the University of Sydney, Australia (BA, Dip. Ed., MA), and the University of Western Sydney, Australia (PhD). He has presented and co-presented at conferences throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, and the United States, and published or co-published a number of books, articles, and book chapters on education-related topics. He is a past president of the Asian Psychological Association and currently a Vice-President of IAFOR. As an Educational Psychologist, he is very interested in how Artificial Intelligence will continue to be incorporated into and impact research and theory on the nature, types, and uniqueness of Human Intelligence(s).

    Previous Presentations

    Panel Presentation (2026) | Longevity, Happiness, and the Art of Community: Lessons from Japan and Beyond

    Panel Presentation (2024) | Communication and Education for Peace
    Featured Panel Presentation (2019) | “The Value of Internationalising Psychology” or “The Value of Indigenous Psychologies”
    Featured Panel Presentation (2018) | Psychological Literacy: The Most Important Literacy for the 21st Century
    Featured Panel Presentation (2017) | Battles of Ideas: Identity and Alienation
    Featured Presentation (2015)
    Featured Presentation (2014)
    Featured Presentation (2012)
    James W. McNally
    University of Michigan & NACDA Program on Aging, United States

    Biography

    Dr James W. McNally is the Director of the NACDA Program on Aging, a data archive containing over 1,500 studies related to health and the aging life course. He is also a Senior Advisor for the National Institute on Aging (NIA), Division of Behavioral and Social Science (DBSR/ODRA). He currently does methodological research on the improvement and enhancement of secondary research data and has been cited as an expert authority on data imputation. Dr McNally has directed the NACDA Program on Aging since 1998 and has seen the archive significantly increase its holdings with a growing collection of seminal studies on the aging life course, health, retirement and international aspects of aging. He has spent much of his career addressing methodological issues with a specific focus on specialised application of incomplete or deficient data and the enhancement of secondary data for research applications. Dr McNally has also worked extensively on issues related to international aging and changing perspectives on the role of family support in the later stages of the aging life course.

    Panel Presentation (2026) | Understanding Cognitive Impairment: Placing Dementia Within a Realistic Framework

    Previous Presentations

    Featured Presentation (2018) | Patterns of Depression Among Elderly Asian Immigrants to the United States Over the Past Decade