On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we warmly welcome you to the International Oil Spill Science Conference 2026 (IOSSC) on October 13-16, 2026 in Montreal, Canada.  This conference is co-hosted by the Multi-Partner Research Initiative of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Oil Spill Research Group of Concordia University, Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). 

This conference aims to build-upon the success of our first conference in Halifax, Canada (IOSSC 2022) under Phase 1 of the Multi-Partner Research Initiative led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.  The conference aims to provide a platform for professionals, scholars and students from the oil spill response community, government, industry, academia, and the public (including indigenous community members) to work together to deal with current and emerging challenges in the field of oil spill response. The scope of IOSSC 2026 has been expanded to includes studies in fresh, estuarine and marine waters. Furthermore as accidental spills of oil are often associated with the release of other contaminants, consideration will be given to research related to the spill of Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS).  The conference will bring experts from around the world to present their latest research in the field of oil spill science including spill prevention, contingency planning, and environmental rehabilitation.

We have an exciting program at this conference that will allow members to reflect upon and celebrate our past accomplishments, renew friendships, and to build research partnerships/networks to explore current and future research directions. We hope that you will have a productive and fun‐filled time at the conference, Montreal and its surrounding region.  Please join us for an exciting three days of learning, sharing ideas, and networking at IOSSC 2026!

Dr. Kenneth Lee

Conference Chair, IOSSC 2026

Chair, Advisory Committee (AC) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Multi-Partner Research Initiative, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) 

Director, Kenneth Lee Research Inc.