Social Media Ambassadors Program - 2026 AAAR Annual Conference

Up to six undergraduate students, graduate students or early-career researchers (≤3 years since terminal degree) will be selected as part of the 2026 Social Media Ambassadors (SMA) Program to post about the AAAR conference using AAAR’s LinkedIn page. Applications were due on May 31, 2026. SMAs will be announced in June. Applicants must have submitted an abstract to the conference as the presenting author.

Selected applicants will start to serve as AAAR SMAs after meeting with the AAAR Internet Communications Committee (ICC) in June or early July until two weeks after the annual conference (early November). Throughout their time as SMAs, selected applicants will be working with the AAAR ICC for an orientation and training, generating content and conducting interviews, accessing AAAR’s social media platforms- and for real-time posting, and a debriefing.

SMAs benefits will include free registration for the conference plus a $500 travel grant if they stay in the conference hotel or a $300 travel grant if they stay elsewhere as well as free access to up to two conference tutorials on Monday, October 26, 2026, and the subsequent evening events. SMAs will be required to sign a contract with AAAR agreeing to fulfill the below duties of the position in order to receive these full benefits.

SMA duties include:

Before conference posts: SMAs will preview the sessions and schedules, post about the conference in general, including announcements about special symposia and plenary speakers. Upon discussions and mutual agreements, each SMA will be assigned to cover a certain section/specialized area of the conference.
During conference posts: SMAs will create content and post on LinkedIn to enhance communication with those at the meeting and with non-attending constituencies. These may include session and symposia highlights, tutorials, individual presentations, exhibitors, and conference events, but may also have a broader focus on interesting activities involving researchers across AAAR. One SMA will be designated to each plenary, and the posts shall include the name of AAAR award winners as they are announced onstage. SMAs will have specific opportunities to network with prior SMA participants and other individuals associated with the program, and are expected to interact with conference attendees to generate content. SMAs and the ICC point person will gather at the AAAR booth in the Exhibit Hall every day.
After conference posts: SMAs will be required to create content during the conference that can be used for posts that will go online in the months following the conference. They are also encouraged to share their experience with future SMAs to continue building the network of participants in this program over time.
Additional social media posts may be made on an SMA's own personal account(s).