3rd MethodsNET Conference 2026
In Partnership With
3rd MethodsNET Conference 2026
The global hub for research methods innovations, excellence and smart use.
Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 28-30 October 2026
Shape the Future of Methodology
Register Today!
Registration Deadline: 30 September 2026
The 3rd MethodsNET Conference will take place for the third and final time at the UCLouvain.
This unique global networking event will again bring together research methods experts (developers, innovators, teachers) and research methods users/learners at all career stages.
Why this is the “place to be”:
- Transdisciplinary Dialogue: Connect with scholars from diverse fields facing similar methodological challenges.
- Bottom-Up Innovation: A program shaped by the community, featuring 6 specialized tracks and 10 interactive session formats.
- Global Networking: Join the MethodsNET Communities in person to brainstorm, collaborate, and define the future of research excellence.
Conference Key Dates 2026
| Activity Type | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Call for Proposals | 18-Feb-26 | 14-May-26 |
| Proposals Review | 15-May-26 | 27-May-26 |
| Registration | 28-May-26 | 30-Sep-26 |
| Timetable | 08-Oct-26 | 08-Oct-26 |
| Paper Upload | 15-Oct-26 | 15-Oct-26 |
Conference Timetable
Abbreviations Key
Qualitative and Interpretive
Mixed Methods
Statistical and Computational Approaches
Case-Based
Research Methods Teaching
Global South Methods
Wednesday 28 October
|
DAY 1 |
SESSION
|
TRACKS
|
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08:00-09:00
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Registration LECL93
|
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09:00-10:30
|
1
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Open Panel: Conducting a Systematic Literature Review in Political Science: Methodological and Software Innovations, Epistemological Issue
|
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10:30-11:00
|
Coffee Break & Networking
|
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|
11:00-12:30
|
2
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MMR Panel: The Methodological Potential of Joint Displays in Mixed Methods Research
|
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12:30-13:30
|
Lunch Break
|
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|
13:30-15:00
|
3
|
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15:00-15:30
|
Coffee Break & Networking
|
|||||
|
15:30-17:00
|
4
|
Q& I Panel:Participatory and Visual Qualitative Methods: Engaging Marginalized Communities in Research
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S&C Panel: Harnessing Novel and Large-Scale Data Sources
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GSM Panel: Adaptive Methods for Data Collection in Hard-to-Reach Settings: Navigating Insecurity, Fragility and Infrastructure Gaps
|
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|
17:00-17:30
|
Coffee Break & Networking
|
|||||
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17:30-19:00
|
Welcome Plenary
Keynote Lecture 1 Best Paper Awards 2025 MONT01 |
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|
19:00-20:30
|
Meet the Experts Speed Dating
Drinks Reception LECL93 |
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Thursday 29 October
|
DAY 2
|
SESSION
|
TRACKS
|
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|
09:00-10:30
|
5
|
S&C Panel: New Constructivist Pathways in Statistical Analysis
|
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|
10:30-11:00
|
Coffee Break & Networking
|
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11:00-12:30
|
Roundtable (AI and Social Science)MONT01
|
|||||
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12:30-13:30
|
Lunch Break
|
|||||
|
13:30-15:00
|
6
|
S&C Panel: AI and LLM-Assisted Methods for Data Curation
|
CB Panel:
Building Comparative Frameworks and Indices |
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15:00-15:30
|
Coffee Break & Networking
|
|||||
|
15:30-17:00
|
7
|
S&C Panel: Advanced Quantitative Modeling of Survey and Experimental Data
|
CB Panel:
Concept Formation, Calibration, and Research Practice |
|||
|
17:15
|
CITY TOUR WITH BENOITMEET OUTSIDE ROOM 93
|
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19:30
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Conference Dinner
|
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Friday 30 October
|
DAY 3
|
SESSION
|
TRACKS
|
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|
09:00-10:30
|
8
|
Q&I Panel: Advancing Interpretative Methodologies: New Approaches to Meaning, Interaction and Experience
|
MMR Panel: Applied Mixed Methods Research across Disciplines: Power, Crisis, Mobilization and Social Change
|
S&C Panel: Unmasking the Hidden: Annotation and Pattern Recognition in Computational Social Science
|
CB Panel: Process Tracing: Mechanisms, Triggers, and Multi-Method Foundations
|
|
|
10:30-11:00
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Coffee Break & Networking
|
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11:00-12:30
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Concluding Plenary + Keynote Lecture 2MONT01
|
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12:30-13:30
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Lunch Break
|
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|
13:30-15:00
|
9
|
Q&I Panel: Methodological Innovations in Qualitative Research: New Approaches to Analysis and Synthesis
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MMR Panel: Mixed Methods Research beyond Integration: Theory, Visuality, Complexity, and Futures
|
GSM Panel: Collaborative Data Generation, Ethical Protocol Design and Mixed-Methods Integration in Post-Colonial Research Contexts
|
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15:00-15:30
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Coffee Break & Networking
|
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|
15:30-17:00
|
10
|
Q&I Panel: Interviews, Documents and Thematic Analysis in Qualitative Research
|
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Ready to join the global social science community?
Travel information and logistics
For any questions please contact info@methodsnet.org
Join the MethodsNET Excellence Network
Committee members
Co-Chair
M. Taimoor Khan
GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
M. Taimoor Khan is a senior researcher in the Knowledge Technologies for Social Sciences department at GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences. With a background in computer science, his research focuses on applied machine learning, natural language processing, dynamically adapting models and computational reproducibility. He has also led the development of big data infrastructure and NLP tools for low resourced languages. At GESIS, he is part of the Methods Hub project aiming to lower the technical barriers in reusing reproducible large computational models. He has contributed to EU project and has published in top-tier computer science venues.
Co-chair
Anka Kekez
University of Zagreb
Anka Kekez is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Croatia. She has extensive experience teaching and mentoring qualitative data analysis at both foundational and advanced levels, using a range of analytical techniques and software tools, including NVivo. In 2022, she received the MethodsNET Pedagogical Excellence Award for her teaching in qualitative data analysis courses. Her research focuses on policy implementation, service delivery, collaborative governance, political meta-governance, and clientelism. She is a co-chair of the Policymaking Dynamics Research Group of the European Network for Public Administration and has co-chaired the Public Policy Study Group of the European Group for Public Administration since 2022. Since 2023, Anka has been active in the Methods Excellence Network (MethodsNET) as an Executive Board member and co-convenor of the Quality and Interpretive Community.
Co-Chair
Benoît Rihoux
MethodsNET EB
Benoît Rihoux is full professor in comparative politics at the University of Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium. He is an international leader in the field of comparative methods and designs, in particular around Configurational Comparative Methods (CCMs) and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). He is the initiator of the COMPASSS global network in the field of CCM and has produced multiple reference publications on QCA, including the most cited textbook on the topic (Rihoux and Ragin 2009). He also publishes on mixed- and multimethod designs and is involved in diverse disciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary comparative and cross-case projects involving QCA and mixed method designs; in these projects, he has tackled very different types of cases: micro-level, meso-level and macro-level, across social sciences and health. He has taught QCA, comparative research designs, research design and soft skills for researchers at numerous venues across the globe. He was joint initiator and joint Academic Convenor of the ECPR Methods School from 2006 to 2021 and is joint initiator and current Chair of MethodsNET, as well as joint Academic Coordinator of the Summer School in Social Research Methods (3SRM).
