it's all connectedlet's think holisticallyit dependsthe big pictureit's complexparadigm shiftwe need alignmentlet's unpack thatsynergytake a step backinterconnectedcircle back on thatit's a wicked problemeverything affects everythingmove the needleit's complicatedthink outside the boxlet's zoom outin theorybest practiceslow-hanging fruitlet's take this offlineit's nuancedsilosthe whole is greaterboil the oceanwe're on a journeyunintended consequencesit's a mindsetlet's socialize thatstakeholder buy-inconnect the dotsdrill downfood for thoughtholistic approachit's an ecosystemlet's double-click on thatper my last emailit's all relativewe should map that outsystems are complexbig-picture thinkingmove fastthought leadershiplet's align on thatparadigmthe iceberg modelfeedback loopstouch basewe need a frameworkat the end of the daythink in systemsit's emergentlet's brainstormpivotgoing forward

The AST Conference 2027OnlineFree

TalkingEvidence.

The International State of Systems Thinking® Conference. The largest systems thinking conference in the world. One day of evidence and practice. Systems thinking you can prOve.

Friday, January 15, 2027 · 9:00 AM MST

--DAYS

--HOURS

--MINUTES

--SECONDS

FormatOnline, worldwide

CostFree

ForAnyone who thinks

ThemeTalking v. Doing

The 2027 theme

Systems thinking has a talking problem.

Most of what gets said about systems thinking stays talk. This year, every talk at the field’s biggest gathering has to lead to doing, with evidence for what works and practice sessions where everyone puts it to work.

Talk without evidence

Lots of words.

Opinions about what might work
Notes you never use again
More of the same

Talk that leads to doing

Evidence. Practice.

What the research shows works
Science told apart from noise
Practice sessions where everyone puts it to work

A day of evidence and practice

Leave with three things.

Know what works.

What the research shows, with evidence.

The SoSTR

Tell science from noise.

Separate evidence from fluff and opinion.

The SoSTR · Selected talks

Be inspired.

By the people whose work moved the field.

The AST Honors · Speakers

The centerpiece

What works.

The State of Systems Thinking Report® (SoSTR) is the field’s report on what there is scientific evidence for. A State of the Union for systems thinking, delivered by the AST President.

Free to registrants in print. Published in the Journal of Systems Thinking (JoST) on the day of the conference.

The AST Honors

The evidence sets the standard. Not a committee.

Honors for field-shaping achievement, exceptional contribution, and promising new work. Each year AST evaluates candidates against the published criteria for each honor.

MEDAL

AST Science Medal in Systems Thinking

The Academy’s highest honor. Field-shaping systems science with evidentiary rigor.

PRIZE

AST Mind Science Prize

Significant advancement of thinking within complex systems.

PRIZE

AST Impact Prize

Evidence of benefits from practice and measurable effect.

PRIZE

AST Public Understanding Prize

Public uptake while preserving scientific rigor.

AWARD

AST Promising Research Award

Emerging excellence in science and practice.

In years where no candidate meets the threshold, the honor is not awarded.

9,000+

participants online in 2025

Formerly the Cornell University International Systems Thinking Conference

The largest gathering of its kind. Now open to anyone who thinks.

For years it ran as a scientific research conference at Cornell. It is now hosted by the Academy of Systems Thinking and brings together the field’s top scientists, its best practitioners, and its newest researchers, along with anyone who wants to do systems thinking better.

ScientistsPractitionersNew researchersBusiness leadersEducatorsPolicymakersStudentsParentsMechanicsYou

Call for speakers

Have something that works? Show us.

Propose a talk or a practice session. Every approach presented must be supported by scientific evidence, so each proposal names the evidence behind it. Proposals without empirical support aren’t accepted.

TALKS

Short, TED-style talks

Each followed by a moderated conversation with the speaker.

PRACTICE SESSIONS

A short talk, then everyone puts it to work.

The audience does it, live.

Proposals closeNovember 30, 2026

Speakers hear backDecember 15, 2026

Save your place.

Registration is free. You’ll get a confirmation by email, and the link to join before the conference starts.

Talk is everywhere.
Come do it.

Friday, January 15, 2027. Online, worldwide, and free. Register and you’ll get a confirmation by email, and the link to join before the conference starts.

Hosted by the Academy of Systems Thinking.

TalkingEvidence.

Systems thinking has a talking problem.

Lots of words.

Evidence. Practice.

Leave with three things.

Know what works.

Tell science from noise.

Be inspired.

What works.

The day, hour by hour.

The evidence sets the standard. Not a committee.

AST Science Medal in Systems Thinking

AST Mind Science Prize

AST Impact Prize

AST Public Understanding Prize

AST Promising Research Award

The largest gathering of its kind. Now open to anyone who thinks.

Have something that works? Show us.

Short, TED-style talks

A short talk, then everyone puts it to work.

Save your place.

Talk is everywhere.Come do it.

Talk is everywhere.
Come do it.