AMS Annual Research Meeting

9th AMS Annual Research Meeting

You are warmly invited to the 9th AMS Annual Research Meeting to be held on April 2, 2026, at KIT Amsterdam. It's THE annual research event centered on the theme of Movement! This gathering welcomes all AMS members and their guests. Don’t miss out!

The event promises to be an enriching experience, featuring outstanding keynote speakers both from within our own ranks and beyond. There will be excellent networking opportunities and workshops designed to enhance your skills in a variety of topics.

Registration

The meeting is open for registration!

Keynote speakers

We are proud to announce that professor dr. Peter J. Beek (Department of Human Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam) will be the 1st keynote speaker at our 9th annual research meeting. Professor Beek is professor in Coordination Dynamics and has more than 530 publications to his name, both academic and professional.

Throughout his career professor Beek has successfully supervised more than 50 PhD candidates. In addition, he is a linking pin between sports science and the practical application of scientific insights in both recreational and elite sports. Together with professor Floor Hettinga, who will succeed him in this role in 2026, he is a member of the core team of the Watertoren consortium Sport en Bewegen, and coordinator of the roadmap 'Moving Smarter and Better'. In addition, he is coordinator of the scientific support of recreational and elite swimming at InnoSportLab De Tongelreep in Eindhoven.

The title of professor Beek's keynote lecture is Varying perspectives on interindividual variability in motor performance and learning.

The 2nd keynote speaker at the 9th Annual Research Meeting is professor dr. Bas Bloem, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen. Professor Bas Bloem is a consultant neurologist at the Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, where he founded the ‘Parkinson Center Nijmegen (ParC)’ in 2002. He was one of the founders of the national network ‘ParkinsonNet’ in 2004, which has received several awards and has also become an international model for the treatment of people with chronic diseases, focusing on improving quality of life and reducing healthcare costs.

In 2008 Bas Bloem was appointed professor of neurology, with movement disorders as special area of interest at Radboud University Nijmegen. Professor Bloem is on the editorial board for several national and international journals and has published over 1,000 publications, including more than 870 peer-reviewed international papers.

Professor Bloem is considered an expert in the field of Parkinson's disease and was in 2020 elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). In 2022 Bloem was awarded the Stevin Prize, an important Dutch scientific prize for “exceptional success in the field of knowledge utilization for society.”

Professor Bloem's keynote lecture is titled The importance of exercise for people with Parkinson's disease.

Professor dr. Bas Bloem

Professor dr. Peter J. Beek, photographed by Patrick Siemons

Final programme

In addition to the keynote spekers, we are proud to present the distinguished speakers from the three breakout sessions.

Breakout session 1:

Dr. Melissa Hooijmans, Faculty of Behaviour and Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam: Interleaved 31P-MRS and 1H-MRI to assess mitochondrial and capillary function in the upper arm and leg muscles of young and old individuals;
Dr. Jaap van Netten, Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam UMC: Moving the goalpost – how research contributes to theparadigm shiftfrom “preventing ulcers” to “(safely) improving activity;

Breakout session 2:

Dr. Jasper Koning, Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC: The road towards human immunocompetent, vascularized in vitro skin models;
Dr. Maarten Steinz, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Amsterdam UMC: Systemically elevated inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in established rheumatoid arthritis affects muscle mitochondrial respiration;

Breakout session 3:

Dr. Jos de Koning, Faculty of Behaviour and Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam: Measuring VO2 accurately seems easy, but reality is different;
Dr. Guus Reurink, Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Amsterdam UMC: Acute muscle injuries: from science to clinical practice.

Click here to go through the abstracts of the speakers from the three breakout sessions.

Book of Abstracts

When the 'Book of Abstracts' is available you can download it below, and have a scroll through to get an impression of the abstracts and posters that will be presented during the meeting.

Conference confirmation

If you need ECTS for the conference, you can download and print the conference attendance confirmation form below. Fill in the appropriate fields and bring it with you to the conference to have it signed. This is mainly applicable for VU / VUmc PhD candidates.

Workshops

See a summary of the workshops on offer here.

Abstracts presentations

TBA.

Calls for participation

Call for Outstanding Papers in the following categories (Note the deadline March 1, 2026).
- Fundamental Science
- Clinical Science
- Sports & Health Science
Call for Abstracts for Poster Sessions: Researchers are encouraged to submit abstracts in the categories Fundamental Science / Clinical Science / Sports and Health Science. The abstracts will be judged by the committee, and selected abstracts will be invited to pitch either to the general audience from the main stage, or during the break-out session. (Abstract submission deadline February 2, 2026). Before submitting we suggest you consult the abstract sample in the 'Call for Abstracts' below.
Call for Nominations for the Societal Impact Award: We welcome nominations for this award which recognizes significant contributions to society by both senior and junior AMS members. (Deadline March, 1 2026).
NOTE: You will find the criteria guiding all participation / awards at the bottom of this page.