We are pleased to announce the preliminary program for the IASR 2026 Annual Meeting!

After two thorough rounds of review, our Scientific Programming Committee (SPC) has chosen symposium and plenary speakers for this year’s conference. Further reviews of a record number of brief oral abstracts have also been completed. Get excited for the strong sexual science that will be presented in Porto this summer!

Plenary Speakers

note: talk titles to be announced in the coming months

IASR Presidential Plenary
Brandon Hill, Vivent Health, USA

Plenary Speaker
Natalie Rosen, Dalhousie University, Canada

Plenary Speaker
Scout, The Cancer Network, USA

Preconference Workshop

The Use of AI in Sexuality Research
Organized by IASR President-Elect David Moskowitz

This workshop introduces practical ways artificial intelligence can be integrated into sex research across the entire research pipeline. Drawing on examples from ongoing projects in digital health and relationship science, Laura Vowels will demonstrate how AI can support qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including conducting AI-facilitated interviews, coding qualitative data, and supporting data analysis workflows while maintaining scientific rigour. Matthew Vowels will complement this by showing how AI can be used to build new research infrastructure, from rapid development of bespoke research tools to AI-assisted systems for managing and analysing complex datasets. Through live demonstrations and case studies, the workshop will illustrate how researchers can leverage AI to accelerate research while maintaining methodological transparency, reproducibility, and ethical safeguards. The session is designed for students and early-career researchers interested in integrating AI into their research practice and will provide practical guidance on both opportunities and limitations of these emerging methods.

Symposia

note: symposium order does not reflect conference order and speakers may change slightly

Sex research in Portugal: From science to societal impact
Organizer: Pedro Nobre, University of Porto, Portugal

  • Ana Gomes, University of Porto, Portugal. Advancing sexual health and well-being through clinical psychological interventions

  • Mariana Carrito, University of Porto, Portugal. Affirmative consent: What’s lab got to do with it

  • Pedro Costa, University of Porto, Portugal. The “science” of harm: Clinical, legal and policy perspectives on conversion practices of LGBTQ+ people

  • Ricardo Barroso, University of Porto, Portugal. Clinical pathways in sexual offending: Tailored psychological interventions for diverse offender profiles

Past and future directions of neurophysiology in sex research
Organizer: Celeste Bittoni, University of Padova, Italy

  • Jeff Kiesner, University of Padova, Italy. Electroencephalography in sex research: Previous studies

  • Celeste Bittoni, University of Padova, Italy. The neurophysiology of female orgasm: A new empirical study

  • Arianna Brancaccio, Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy. How EEG biomarkers of orgasm can inform new treatments for chronic pain and SSRI-related sexual dysfunctions

  • Barry Komisaruk, Rutgers University, United States. Explaining the shared neural pathways between pain and orgasm

Behind a strong mask: Research and intervention perspectives on masculinity, trauma, and sexuality
Organizer: Natacha Godbout, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

  • Ateret Gewirtz-Meydan, University of Haifa, Israel. Men, sex, and trauma: Heterogeneous paths from childhood sexual abuse to adult sexual well-being

  • Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada. (Dis)similarity between partners’ childhood maltreatment and sexual satisfaction: A dyadic response surface analysis

  • Natacha Godbout, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada. Understanding male victimization, masculinity and sexuality: Findings and knowledge transfer initiative from the National Collective on Male Victimization (CNVAM)

Know, stroke, swell and reconstruct: The clitoris, the primary female pleasure organ
Organizer: Stephanie Both, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Netherlands

  • James Pfaus, Charles University, Czech Republic. Clitoral pleasure versus clitoral aversion in the rat: Effects on partner preference and brain activation

  • Stephanie Both, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Netherlands. Changes in clitoral volume in response to visual erotic stimulation in pre- and postmenopausal women

  • Alastair Loutit, University of Geneva, Switzerland. Psychosexual function after female genital mutilation/cutting: Advancing reconstructive and therapeutic approaches

  • Tanja Oschatz, Joahnnes-Gutenberg University Mainz & Medical School Hamburg, Germany. The influence of men partner’s sexual communal strength and clitoral knowledge on women’s orgasm and sexual pleasure: A dyadic analysis of women-men relationships

Substance use and sex among sexual minority men
Organizer: Trevor Hart, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada

  • Trevor Hart, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada. longitudinal variable-centred and person-centred approaches to understanding crystal methamphetamine use and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men

  • Shayna Skakoon-Sparling, University of Guelph, Canada. Factors that contribute to sexualized substance use among sexual minority men: Considering the impact of relationship power dynamics

  • Adhm Zahran, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada. Intersectional minority stress, problematic alcohol use, and sexual health among sexual minority men of colour

  • Tyrel Starks, Hunter College, United States. Sexual relationship quality, sexual behavior, and drug use symptom severity: Evaluating key assumptions in interdependence theory

Brief Communications 

note: brief communication order does not reflect conference order and only first authors (who will present the talk) are listed below

Sara Chadwick, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States. Sexual coercion: Not hot! The first longitudinal study of sexual coercion and desire among women in romantic relationships with men

Veronique Charbonneau-Lefebvre, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada. A new perspective on attachment dynamics and sexual satisfaction using dyadic response surface analysis

Stephanie Chen, Saint Mary’s University, Canada. Association of conflict and community violence with intimate partner sexual violence perpetration in Colombian youth

Kelly Davis, Arizona State University, United States. A daily approach to assessing men’s condom use resistance: The roles of daily sexual and emotional factors

David Lafortune, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada. Evaluating one-session virtual reality exposure therapy for sexual aversion disorder: A single-arm pre-post study

Valerie Lapointe, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada. AI-generated pornography: User profiles, perceived risks, and platform governance

Justin Lehmiller, The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, United States. GLP-1 medication use and perceived changes in sex and dating outcomes

Yishu Li, University of Southampton, United Kingdom. IASR 2026 Best Student Manuscript: A timely exploratory study of young adults’ psychosexual responses to the UK’s new age verification law on online pornography

Kathryn Macapagal, Northwestern University, United States. Acceptability of SHER, a digital sexual health promotion intervention for diverse adolescents

Kirstin Mitchell, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom. Sexual wellbeing in Britain: Findings from the fourth National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-4)

Michael Newcomb, Northwestern University, United States. Trajectories of depression and victimization in five cohorts of sexual minority youth in Chicago

Benjamin Nguyen, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada. When the tops bottom and the bottoms top: How does sexualized substance use come into play?

Diana Peragine, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada. Sex and gender mosaicism across the hypothalamus: Volumetric sex differences and intersections with gender and gender-affirming hormone treatment

Meike Sorg, University of Innsbruck, Austria. Biased emotional forecasts predict avoidance of sexual communication in romantic relationships

Bram Steeman, Ghent University, Belgium. Beyond first intercourse: Trajectories of adolescent sexual development and their predictors

Laura Vowels, University of Roehampton, United Kingdom. Setting the standard: Developing a benchmark for safe and effective AI in mental and sexual health support

Marlene Werner, Amsterdam University Medical Center & University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between testosterone and female sexual response and function

Bozena Zdaniuk, University of British Columbia, Canada. Differences in sexual experiences and sexual functioning among three gender groups of asexual individuals

Data Blitzes

note: data blitz order does not reflect conference order and only first authors (who will present the talk) are listed below

Sandra Aguiar, University of Porto, Portugal. Sexual assault experiences and the implicit processing of sexual cues: Preliminary ERP findings

Joel Anderson, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, Australia. Exposure to conversion ideology predicts sexual anxiety and orgasm outcomes through fear of compassion

Alena Bondarchuk-McLaughlin, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, Australia. “Looking for bisexual women who would like to have sex with a couple:” Qualitative exploration of couples’ experiences looking for a third

Meredith Chivers, Queen's University, Canada. Mapping the disconnect: A multi-modal investigation of neurocognitive and psychophysiological sexual responses among women with and without symptoms of sexual interest and arousal disorder (SIAD)

Nicola Döring, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany. “The pleasure crested in waves:” Representations of women’s and men’s sexual pleasure in contemporary erotic romance novels

Brian Feinstein, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, United States. Patterns of changes in sexual identity over 18-months among bisexual+ adults

Erin Fitzpatrick, University of British Columbia, Canada. Can strengthening first-time parent couples’ sexual connection through the STORK program spill- and crossover to their co-parenting relationship?

Anna Gilmour, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, United States. Sexual orientation, crime victimization, and relationship to the offender: Insights from New Zealand police records, 2014-2024

Neil Gleason, University of Southern California, United States. Substance use and HIV risk among partnered men who have sex with men

Cláudia Gouveia, Psychology Research Center (CIPSI), University of Minho, Portugal. How online sexual offending develops and changes: A thematic analysis of offenders’ self-perceived pathways

Kirsten Greer, Indiana Univeristy, United States. The sexual agency paradox: Exploring how college culture contributes to internalized sociocultural sexual pressure among U.S. college students

Pascalle Heijligenberg, Maastricht University, Netherlands. Educational differences in sexual health among adolescents in Europe: A meta-analysis

Marshall Man Chung Hui, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Promoting humanization and prosociality towards gender-nonconforming peers: Effects of a brief mentalization intervention in school-aged children

Maëlle Lefebvre, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada. Pleasure, anxiety, or habit? Exploring gendered motivations for sex under the influence of cannabis

Tiffany Marcantonio, University of Alabama, United States. Can conversational AI agents be a tool for preventing intimate partner and sexual violence? A scoping review of 10 years

Lara Seefeld, Dalhousie University, Canada. Sexual well-being predicts distinct relationship satisfaction trajectories of couples across the transition to parenthood

Ivanka Simic Stanojevic, Indiana University, United States. Beyond good intentions: What builds confidence in LGBTQ+-affirmative disability services?

Grace Wang, Dalhousie University, Canada. An observational study of interpersonal emotion regulation during sexual conflict and sexual well-being in couples coping with sexual interest/arousal disorder

Trinity Weisensel, Xavier University, United States. Socioeconomic status as a predictor of response to online treatment for Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder in women

Graziele Zwielewski, Federal University of Santa Catarina and University of Porto, Brazil. Preliminary evidence of the validity of a screening instrument for dysfunctional compensatory strategies: IRED-SEX

Check back at the upcoming meeting page or follow IASR on LinkedIn for the latest updates.