Meet our 2026 keynotes
Lene Bull Christiansen (she/her) is Associate Professor at the Institute for Communication and Arts at Roskilde University in Denmark. She has a background in International Development Studies and Cultural Studies. Her current research area of focus is Fat Studies from the perspective of Gender and Media Studies. She is the co-author of the Danish Weight Stigma Report and has headed the Research Project Feminist Activism in Transition (FAT).
Lene prioritises public research dissemination and has edited and co-written the anthology TYK (fat), which introduces a wide range of perspectives on fat lives to the general public, and has hosted the podcast De Fede Feminister (the fat feminists), which introduces themes within Fat Studies to the public. Lene has co-founded the Nordic Network of Fat Studies and the Danish interdisciplinary research network Ligevægt (weight equality).
Angel Austin (she/her) is Executive Director of the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH), holder of the trademark for Health at Every Size® (HAES®). She promotes and protects this paradigm of size-inclusiveness in health, expressed through the HAES® Principles and Framework of Care. Angel is Black, infinifat, chronically ill, and disabled. She calls on wisdom gained in life at these historically oppressed intersections to drive policy change through the lens of liberation and social justice.
Angel is also the creator of Sacred Space for Fat Bodies, an online advocacy space focused on community-centered fundraising for fat, Black folks, storytelling, and spiritual reflection. She shares tools for superfat+ people who are chronically ill and/or disabled and who are seeking support. Her work prioritizes dignity over weight loss and justice over maintaining the status quo. Angel has unshakable audacity and strives to help those she supports move from survival toward thriving in community.
Across the organizations she serves, the common thread is her dedication to building a sustainable future of care for those most harmed by weight stigma, racism, ableism, and healthism.
Angel lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, their Rottweiler, “Boomer”, and “Sydney”, their pet tarantula.