Contributions from a Future Generation of Participatory Design Researchers: Growing Societal Demands and Diversifying Competences

In a world marked by disconnection, fragmentation, and conflict, the urgency of participatory design is to become an agent of peace, dialogue, and coexistence. The call for participation in the PDC2026 Doctoral Colloquium invited PhD students from around the world to discuss the issues involved in this challenge. The call resulted in 63 submissions, of which 38, coming from institutions established in 19 countries across the globe, were selected for presentation and publication. This paper outlines the process of selection and introduces the main themes of the accepted research proposals, which traverse sustainability transitions, governance and democracy, more-than-human ecologies, emerging technologies and AI, decoloniality, and futuring.