Knowing how to find academic conferences that are genuinely worth your time is one of the most underrated skills you can develop as a PhD student.
When you’re doing a PhD it’s easy to get so caught up in the depths of your research, staring at an experiment that should have worked three days ago, chasing deadlines, and deciding what to do next, that you lose perspective on the bigger picture.
Stepping outside that bubble to attend the right event can completely renew your motivation. It gives you fresh eyes on your work, a chance to meet the wider research community without forced networking, and the opportunity to start building your reputation as a researcher.
But with limited funding and so many different events out there, how do you actually pick the right ones?
In this guide, we’ll break down how to track down the best conferences for your field and how to choose the ones that will give you the best return on your time.
Why Bother with Academic Conferences?
It’s fair to ask: what’s the point?
Conferences mean taking time out from conducting research. They can be tiring, expensive, and sometimes a bit awkward – especially if it’s your first one. But there are five very good reasons to go.
1. Present your work and get feedback
Presenting at a conference gives you the chance to explain your research to a live audience, and get real-time feedback. That feedback can be especially helpful if you’re planning to turn your work into a journal article.
Depending on your field, academic conferences are typically an intermediate point before submitting your work to a journal – which is often the final intended destination for a piece of research. Therefore, submitting your work to a conference and presenting it there can act as a low-stakes dry run – helping you to solidify your own understanding of the work and its weaknesses. You can then address these points now rather than journal reviewers springing them on you after you’re completely finished with it.
In the first year of my PhD I attended a national conference to do a poster presentation, but it was a chance encounter over lunch that ended up making the biggest difference to my PhD. While describing my work to someone they suggested that I consider using a certain technique. When I got back I started working on it and that technique ended up being a central part of my first first-author academic paper, and much of my subsequent work (two other papers using the technique: paper 1, paper 2)!
Being in the same room as other people working on similar research exposes you to different perspectives that can provide invaluable feedback. Going to a conference gives you this opportunity.
2. Boost your CV
Having a paper or poster accepted to a conference – particularly a well-regarded one – shows that your work has been peer-reviewed and deemed worth sharing. That alone is CV-worthy, especially during a PhD.
Some conferences also offer awards for best papers, presentations, lightning talks, or posters. These look great on your CV and can also give a nice confidence boost! Any cash or physical prizes are also a lovely bonus.
I’ve been fortunate to win a few different prizes at conferences. I remember one of them was for a lightning talks session, for 60 second talks, which was open to any early career researchers at the conference – you just signed up once you were there.
I’m always trying to push myself to be someone who makes the most of all opportunities, especially if they provide a chance to challenge myself to do things I’m uncomfortable with. Despite this, I remember being incredibly nervous signing up. Although lots of people put their names down, only about 12 people went ahead and delivered a talk, and I was fortunate to win the top prize. You’ve got to be in it to win it!
3. Network and build your research community
Networking doesn’t have to mean forced small talk or handing out business cards. Conferences are one of the few places where networking happens relatively naturally, because everyone is already there to discuss similar research topics.
They’re a good opportunity to:
- Meet people working on similar problems
- Put faces to names you’ve only seen in papers
- Start conversations that can later turn into collaborations or research visits
For more insights on how to network at a conference be sure to check out this dedicated section in my post on Academic Networking 101: How to Build Your Research Community.
A few summers ago I went on an all-expenses paid six week research visit to Norway. I’d met some members of the research group at a previous conference and said that I’d be interested in visiting them. Without this conversation at the conference I don’t imagine I would have gone on the research visit.
You can read the whole post about organising and planning the trip here: How to Plan a Research Visit.
4. Discover new places
One of the main perks of academic conferences is the travel. You might find yourself visiting a new city – or even a new country or continent – that you’d never otherwise have gone to.
If you can afford both the expense and additional time away from home, I always think it is worth adding a few days of annual leave before or after the conference to explore the area properly. It can make the whole experience feel far more rewarding than just flying in, being at the conference, and flying straight back out again.
Conferences have enabled me to visit new countries, exclusive venues (e.g. the Royal Society) and experiences – such as going to the Arctic Circle and seeing the Northern Lights.
A few times, such as in Vancouver, Canada, I made friends at the conference who I then hung around with for the few days I had after the conference.
You can find further details (and photos) for both of these trips in a previous Beyond the PhD article.
I really do recommend adding some extra time to your trip if you can: yes you have to pay for the extra accommodation but all of the travel and the rest of the trip is free! It seems wild to me that this isn’t the norm.
5. Get publication opportunities
Some conferences publish written proceedings of the event i.e. collate all of the accepted abstracts/papers and put it online. In other cases you might be invited to submit a longer version of your work to a journal special issue or contribute to an edited book chapter. This can be a good opportunity to publish a piece of work, without separately going through the process of submitting it to a journal.
Often the conference’s website will give details. For example for ECML 2026, an upcoming AI conference, the “call for papers” webpage states:
The conference proceedings will be published by Springer in the Lecture Notes in Computer Science Series (LNCS).
ECML 2026 Call for Papers webpage
How common this is depends on the research field. I did my PhD in biomaterials/biomechanics/imaging, and in that case it wasn’t common for work being accepted a conference to result in a meaningful publication. We were submitting short abstracts rather than full papers, and these rarely became public.
Now I work in AI and many of the top conferences are seen as suitable destinations for the final piece of work. This is not just because they’re prestigious, but also because they publish full length papers which can be cited just like journal papers.
How to Find Academic Conferences That Suit You
If you’re trying to work out how to find academic conferences that suit your research and career stage, the following strategies are a good place to start.
Ask around
I personally think the best way to find academic conferences is to ask the people you work with – assuming that they do similar research to you.
Ask your supervisor which conferences they recommend, especially ones that are well-suited to your specific PhD topic and stage in your academic career. They’ll often also be able to advise you on which ones are a nice size and have a friendly welcoming atmosphere.
Your research group or lab mates will often have a list of conferences which they regularly attend, which can be a helpful shortcut when you’re just starting out.
Look at where your favourite research was presented
Think about papers you’ve recently read and liked. Where were they first presented?
Depending on the field this isn’t always easy to figure out. Best case scenario the paper was published in the proceedings of a conference which makes it obvious, sometimes a journal paper with cite an earlier conference abstract/paper, or you may be able to find out by Googling the title or first author.
If certain conferences keep appearing in your reference list, that’s usually a sign they’re important to your research community.
Follow researchers and groups in your field
You’re probably aware of a few research groups at other universities doing similar work to you. Check their lab websites, Google Scholar profiles, or social media accounts to see where they’re presenting their research.
Patterns tend to emerge surprisingly quickly, giving you a roadmap for how to find academic conferences that matter to your research area.
Use conference directories
Personally I’ve not used this approach but there are several sites dedicated to listing academic conferences across disciplines. These include:
- PaperCrowd
- Conference Alerts
- Field-specific listings run by professional societies (e.g. IEEE, ACM, Royal Society)
These directories can be helpful when you’re figuring out how to find academic conferences by subject, location, or date. Just be sure to sanity-check the organisers and history of the event to make sure that they’re reputable.
Predatory conferences (and journals) are a thing you have to watch out for. If in doubt, ask your supervisor.
Sign up for mailing lists
Once you attend a conference, or join a professional society, you’ll usually start receiving emails with calls for papers at upcoming events. This is one of the main ways that I hear that conferences are now open for submissions.
You can also sign up for newsletters from academic publishers or research networks to stay in the loop.
Try smart Google searches
Sometimes the simplest approach works best. Try searches like:
- “call for papers + [your research area]”
- “[your topic] + academic conference + 2027”
Including the current or next year can help filter out outdated search results. In a similar vein, these days I’m sure you could also ask your favourite LLM. As with conference directories, be careful to ensure that these are legitimate and vetted events – again, speak to your supervisor for advice.
How to Choose the Right Academic Conference
Once you’ve got a shortlist, the next step is deciding which conference is actually feasible to attend and worth your time.
Budget
It’s obvious but going to conferences costs money, which can be a limiting factor.
Conference registration itself can be surprisingly expensive, sometimes £650 (€750 / $850) or more to attend for the ~5 days. Sometimes it’ll include lunches and dinners, other times not. As well as registration and food there is accommodation and travel to consider. Very quickly the trip can cost at least £2000.
Thankfully, usually it is someone else’s money since most funded PhD programmes include a conference allowance, often spread across your entire PhD. Some supervisors also have access to additional funding, and many departments offer travel grants – but you usually have to ask. It helps to justify asking for additional funds if it is a particularly prestigious conference.
If funding is tight, virtual or hybrid conferences can be a good alternative. They’re often much cheaper and still provide presentation experience and networking opportunities – though nothing like as good as being there in-person.
Location and visas
Before committing to attend, check what travel documents you’ll need. Depending on your passport and where the conference is, you might need a visa. Visas can be expensive and slow to process, so it’s important to look into this early. You may also need to have hotels or transport booked in order to secure your visa.
It is crazy to me but some conferences literally don’t give researchers enough time to apply for and secure a visa after notifying them that their work is accepted. It’s therefore impossible for them to attend unless they preemptively invest time and money into getting a visa before they even know if their work is accepted – which is typically a prerequisite to attend.
By now I’ve known several Chinese researchers who were unable to attend conferences in North America because of this issue: costing them experience and networking opportunities. I don’t think this is discussed enough.
It’s also worth asking yourself a simple question: would I actually like to go there? If you’re travelling (particularly long-haul), choosing a place you’re excited about can make a big difference.
Conference size
Large international conferences can be great for visibility, but they can also be overwhelming – especially if it’s your first one. Smaller or more specialised events are often easier to navigate and give you more meaningful interaction with other attendees.
One of my favourite conferences is NLDL. An AI conference which still only has several hundred attendees per year despite having been running since 2018, being relatively cheap to attend (it is subsidised by the government), oh and it happens right up in the Arctic Circle in Norway over the winter so there is a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights there – hence the conference’s name.
I’ve only attended once so far but small conferences such as this are a great way to dip your toe in to conferences.
Who’s attending?
Think about who you want feedback from. If your research is interdisciplinary, conferences that attract people from different backgrounds (e.g. clinicians, engineers, policy-makers) can be particularly valuable.
You can usually get a feel for this by looking at the call for papers (which typically lists the topics they want presented), past programmes or keynote speakers.
Prestige vs relevance
It’s tempting to aim for the most prestigious conference in your field, but prestige isn’t everything. If your work doesn’t quite align, or frankly the odds of success aren’t great (and if submission timelines clash with another more achievable conference), a smaller or more niche conference may be a better fit.
Also, don’t overlook workshops at conferences. Most big conferences (at least in AI) will have workshops attached to them, usually before or after the main conference. These are more targeted sessions around a particular theme. Be aware, they’re less prestigious to have your work accepted at than the main conference “track”.
Some of the most useful conversations happen at these smaller or more niche events, especially when you’re more likely to speak to people relevant to your research topic.
Deadlines and opportunities
Pay close attention to submission deadlines, registration dates, and funding applications. Missing a deadline will usually mean waiting another year for that same conference to take place again. Sometimes they’re only once every four years (e.g. the World Biomaterials Congress) – you wouldn’t want to miss that deadline!
These days I work in AI research and there is generally a constant stream of relevant conferences throughout the year, but it was quite different during my PhD.
Unless I’m aiming for a particular venue (such as NLDL!), not much thought has to be put into when and where to submit my work. Which is nice, but some people find they need the pressure of a firm deadline to get work finished.
Registration deadlines are surprisingly important too. Once you know you’re going, I suggest booking straight away:
- Grab early-bird discounts: Registering early is almost always significantly cheaper than booking closer to the event.
- Secure your ticket as a presenter immediately: Don’t assume having an abstract accepted guarantees you a seat. Earlier this year, some of my colleagues struggled to get tickets to a major conference they were presenting at because the organisers hadn’t held back enough passes to guarantee presenters a place!
It’s also worth checking whether the conference offers publication opportunities or student prizes.
As mentioned above, lots of conferences will state if they’ll be publishing accepted work, either in its current form, and/or inviting authors to submit follow-on work. I’ve done this myself before.
For example this was the paper we published in the proceedings of a conference I attended in 2023, and the organisers of the workshop invited authors to submit a full research article (which we did) to a journal special issue afterwards. I’d recommend checking the conference/workshop website for more details.
Quick checklist: is this conference right for me?
Once you’ve mastered how to find academic conferences and built a solid shortlist, you use this quick checklist to decide if a specific event is actually right for you:
- Budget: Is the total cost (tickets, travel, accommodation) covered by your allowance, or can you secure a travel grant?
- Theme Alignment: Does your current abstract or research project directly fit the specific scope of the tracks or workshops?
- Deadlines: Is the submission timeline realistic for your current pace, and does it align with your graduation or publication goals?
- Audience: Are the right peers, key field experts, and potential future collaborators attending this specific event?
- Publication Output: Does the conference offer official publication proceedings or invitations to journal special issues?
- Logistics: Do you genuinely want to travel to this location – and more importantly, is there enough time to secure a visa?
- Motivation: Are you actually excited about this event, or are you just submitting for the sake of it?
The Typical Path to Attending an Academic Conference
Now that you know how to find academic conferences, you may be wondering what the typical list of activities is from shortlisting to stepping onto the plane.
From my experience, here is the standard sequence of events:
- Identify a suitable conference.
- Decide if you’re going to submit something there (or just attend it). Although it does happen where people will just go along without having work to present, it is fairly uncommon. Often having something accepted at the conference is the main justification for going.
- Prepare work to submit to the conference. Make sure to use any templates the conference may provide so that your work isn’t unnecessarily rejected.
- Submit your work.
- Get notified as to whether or not it is accepted. Sometimes there is a rebuttal period where you can argue your point with reviewers a bit like a journal paper. Usually this isn’t the case though.
- If accepted, register for the conference, book your travel and accommodation. If you can afford it: don’t forget to add on a short break before or after which you pay for separately yourself.
- Prepare your poster or oral presentation.
- Attend and enjoy!
Final Thoughts
Academic conferences can be one of the most rewarding parts of a PhD – but only if you’re thoughtful about which ones you attend. They’re a chance to get feedback, build your network, gain visibility, and feel part of a real research community. Plus, often an opportunity to visit somewhere new.
If you’re trying to work out how to find academic conferences that are worth your time and energy, start by asking around, searching online, and keeping an open mind.
The right event can spark new ideas, boost your confidence and motivation, and remind you why you started your PhD in the first place.
Going to conferences is often a highlight of my working year. Not only because of the ideas and conversations but also because they provide an opportunity to reflect on my current work and figure out things which I’d like to be doing more of.
For more guidance on how to get the most out of the conference be sure to check out my post on academic networking.
Do you have any favourite conferences you’ve attended? Or are there any you’d love to go to?
Let me know in the comments!
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