Honoring Affective Science Community Members
Inspired by the recent passing of Dr. Paul Ekman (tribute below), SAS will now honor at our annual meeting members of the affective science community who have retired or passed away. Please submit your nominations via this form by Friday, February 20, 2026 (11:59 PM Baker Island Time). Questions can be directed to sas@podiumconferences.com.
Remembering Dr. Paul Ekman (1934-2025)
As originally distributed via the SAS Listserv
Affective science has lost an extraordinary member of our community: Dr. Paul Ekman, who passed peacefully at home at the age of 91 on November 17, 2025. Dr. Ekman’s pioneering cross-cultural research on the interpretation of facial expressions in emotional terms, and his fierce advocacy for those findings’ implications for the mechanisms of emotion itself, arguably launched the field of affective science. His theorizing about the nature of emotion was rich and complex as well as controversial, providing a foundation for decades of high-impact research. He was also a beloved mentor and friend.
The Society for Affective Science joins together in honoring Dr. Ekman’s life, work, and impact on the field, and our hearts go out to his children, Eve and Tom.
A full obituary for Dr. Ekman appeared in the December issue of Affective Science: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42761-025-00346-5
Official announcement: https://www.paulekman.com/blog/the-passing-of-dr-paul-ekman/