Asia-Pacific Meeting of the Economic Science Association 2026

Thursday 9 April to Sunday 12 April 2026

The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

About the Conference

The meeting is hosted by the Department of Economics at The University of Melbourne and it will be held as an in-person event at the Parkville Campus.

Conference Committee

Joshua B. Miller (Chair), Nisvan Erkal, Max Grossmann, Siqi Pan, Maria Recalde , Mia K. Tam and Tom Wilkening

Contact Us

APESA-conference@unimelb.edu.au

Conference Program

Click here for APESA Melbourne - Full Program

Click here for APESA Melbourne - Full Program with abstracts

Please note: Program  subject to change

We are pleased to announce the keynote speakers for the Asia-Pacific Meeting of the Economic Science Association 2026

Katherine B. Coffman, Harvard Business School, Harvard University

Katherine Coffman is the Piramal Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Negotiations, Organizations & Markets unit at Harvard Business School. Before joining HBS, she was an assistant professor of economics at The Ohio State University. In her research, Professor Coffman uses experimental methods to study individual, team, and managerial decision making, with a focus on the role of gender stereotypes in shaping beliefs. Her work has been published in Management Science, the American Economic Review, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and the Review of Economic Studies. She is an associate editor of Management Science and the Journal of Political Economy: Microeconomics. Professor Coffman holds a PhD in economics from Harvard University and a BA in mathematics and economics from Williams College.

Ryan Oprea, Hass School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley

Ryan Oprea is a Professor in the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.  Previously he held positions in the Economics department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the University of British Columbia and the University of California, Santa Cruz.Over the course of his career he has done experimental research aimed at understanding the price formation process in markets, how people behave strategically in continuous time and how people make individual decisions in dynamic-stochastic settings.  His recent research has focused on understanding how complexity and cognitive limitations shape human behavior and institutions.

Agnieszka Tymula, School of Economics, University of Sydney

Professor Tymula is Professor in the School of Economics, University of Sydney where she also serves as Director of both the Experimental Economics Lab and the ARC Life Course Centre of Excellence. Her research integrates theory and empirical methods from economics, psychology, and neuroscience to better understand how people decide and how to help them become better decision-makers. Professor Tymula has been awarded over 34 million in competitive research funding. She has held numerous leadership roles, including President and Board Member of the Society for Neuroeconomics, Co-Director of the Neuroeconomics Summer Institute, member of the Executive Committee of the Economic Science Association and the Editorial Board of Experimental Economics.  Professor Tymula is the first Australian researcher to receive the Society for Neuroeconomics Award. She is also a recipient of the Young Economist Award from the Economic Society of Australia and Discovery Early Career Researcher Award from the Australian Research Council.

Conference Venue

Join us at Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne, 185 Pelham Street,  Carlton, VIC.

Conference  will take place on both the Mezzanine and Level 1.

Catering will be served in the Level 1 Foyer.

Plenary David P. Derham Theatre GM15

Breakout  Lecture Theatres:

• GM16
• GM17
• 0104
• 0106
• 0108
• 0109

Accommodation

APESA Melbourne 2026 has negotiated discounted accommodation rates for conference attendees at hotels close to The University of Melbourne.  Please see options below.

Imagine Lighthouse

442-450 Elizabeth St, Melbourne 3000

Conveniently located on Elizabeth Street in the CBD, Imagine Lighthouse is within walking distance to the iconic Queen Victoria Markets, Chinatown, Bourke Street Mall and Flagstaff Gardens; making it the perfect choice for leisure and business travellers alike.

Combining striking architectural design, superior finishes, modern facilities and floor to ceiling windows – take in the breathtaking views of Lighthouse while basking in all the comforts you would expect in a hotel designed to impress.

Please click here to access the special discount of 20% off Best Available Rate. Guests will need to enter the code ‘UOMDELEGATES’ after selecting dates on the website.

Veriu Queen Victoria Market

91/101 Therry St, Melbourne  3000

Conveniently located  next to the iconic Queen Victoria Market and approximately 8 minutes walk to The University of Melbourne, with a range of premium dining outlets and shops on the hotel's doorstep.

Please click here and then enter the special code UNIMELB which will offer 15% discount off the best available rate.  (When submitting the code, you will need to select rate access/corporate code.)

voco Melbourne Central

18 Timothy Lane, Melbourne 3000

The hotel is moments away from Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne Central Station and the Emporium Shoppping Centre and approximately a 10 minute walk to The University of Melbourne.

Please click here to access the direct booking link which will offer 15% discount off the best available rate.

Navigating Melbourne

Catching Public Transport

Public transport across Victoria is free for everyone from 31 March to 30 April 2026. No Myki card or ticket is required during this period — just board any train, tram, or bus. For journey planning and real-time service alerts, download the PTV app (also on iOS). For real-time tram arrival information specifically, use tramTRACKER (Android, iOS).

Traveling From the Airport

The Sky Bus travels from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport to Southern Cross Station in the Melbourne CBD. This service leaves the airport roughly every 20 minutes and costs from $24.60 for a one-way or from $41.20 return.

Getting to the University of Melbourne

From the CBD:

To get to The University of Melbourne from Melbourne city center, simply catch any tram going up Swanston Street or Elizabeth Street.

Navigating Melbourne University

The University of Melbourne was first founded in 1853 and is Australia’s second oldest University. The University spans two campuses. The main campus is located in Parkville. There is also a second campus in Southbank where the Victorian College of the Arts resides.

You can view a campus map below or access the University of Melbourne interactive map.