We are pleased to announce that the Keynote for the 2026 Annual Meeting will be Sander van der Linden, PhD. Sander van der Linden is a Professor of Social Psychology in Society at the University of Cambridge and one of the world’s leading experts on misinformation, social influence, and the psychology of decision making. He directs Cambridge’s Social Decision-Making Lab, where he studies how false information spreads and how societies can build resilience against it. His pioneering work on psychological inoculation—the idea that people can be “prebunked” against misinformation much like a vaccine protects against a virus—has shaped global approaches to combating manipulation and protecting public trust.

Professor van der Linden advises national governments, the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and major technology platforms, including Google and Facebook, on strategies to counter misinformation and strengthen public communication. His research has appeared in leading journals such as Science, PNAS, Nature Human Behaviour, and Psychological Science, and has been widely featured in major media outlets including The New York Times, BBC, The Guardian, and The Washington Post.

He is the author of the acclaimed book Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity, which distills decades of scientific research into an accessible and practical guide for understanding—and resisting—the spread of false information.

His contributions have earned him numerous awards, including the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science and Cambridge’s Impact Prize. He was named by Clarivate as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers.

Save the date for the SMDM 48th Annual Meeting in Oslo, 28 June – 1 July 2026, and make plans to join us for what promises to be an exceptional keynote session.