Fifteenth AAAI/SIGART Doctoral Consortium
Call for Applications
- Application Package Submission Deadline: February 5, 2010
- Acceptance Notification: March 19, 2010
- Doctoral Consortium: July 11–12, 2010
Application Submission Site
AAAI and ACM/SIGART invite students to apply for the Fifteenth AAAI/SIGART Doctoral Consortium. The Doctoral Consortium (DC) provides an opportunity for a group of Ph.D. students to discuss and explore their research interests and career objectives with a panel of established researchers in artificial intelligence. The consortium has the following objectives: (1) to provide a setting for mutual feedback on participants’ current research and guidance on future research directions; (2) develop a supportive community of scholars and a spirit of collaborative research; (3) support a new generation of researchers with information and advice on academic, research, industrial, and non-traditional career paths; and (4) contribute to the conference goals through interaction with other researchers and participation in conference events.
The Doctoral Consortium will be held as a workshop on July 11–12, 2010, immediately before the start of the main AAAI conference. Student participants in the Doctoral Consortium will receive complimentary conference registration and a fixed allowance for travel/housing.
The Application Packet
Applicants to the Doctoral Consortium must submit the following materials via the AAAI online submission site. Please combine all materials into one PDF document, formatted for US letter paper (8.5 x 11″).
1. Thesis Summary. A two-page thesis summary that outlines the problem being addressed, the proposed plan for research, and a description of the progress to date. The most successful applications directly address all three of these components. Please be sure to distinguish between work that has already been accomplished and work that remains to be done. Be sure to include a title for your work. The thesis summary MUST be in AAAI twocolumn format, with references.
2. Curriculum Vita. Include a CV (at most two pages) that describes your background and relevant experience (research, education, employment). Your CV MUST include your anticipated graduation date, or it may be rejected without review. Please include any additional items that may indicate your potential contribution to, and benefit from, the DC.
3. Letter of Recommendation. A letter of recommendation from your thesis advisor. It must include an assessment of the current status of your thesis research, and an expected date for thesis submission. In addition, your advisor should indicate what he or she hopes you would gain from participation in the DC.
4. Participant’s Expectations. A short (one page or less) statement of what you expect to gain from presenting and participating in the DC, as well as what you think you can contribute to the DC. For best consideration, your statement must address both of these expectations.
Applicants to the Doctoral Consortium must submit the following materials via the AAAI online submission site.
Review Process
The consortium organizing committee will select participants on the basis of their anticipated contribution to the workshop goals. We solicit applications from any topic area and methodology within artificial intelligence. Students will be selected who have settled on their thesis direction, but still have significant research to complete. The perfect stage is having just had a research proposal accepted by the thesis committee. Students will be selected based on clarity and completeness of the submission packet, stage of research, advisor’s letter, and evidence of promise such as published papers or technical reports.
At the Conference
The organizers invite all students to attend and participate in the Doctoral Consortium, whether or not they apply to present their work. In previous years, many nonpresenting students said they found it useful to observe their peers’ presentations and to participate in the ensuing discussions.
All participants selected to present their work at the Doctoral Consortium are expected to be present throughout the con sor ti um. Our experience has been that participants gain almost as much by interacting with their peers as by having their presentations critiqued by the faculty panel. As such, we expect a commitment from participating students to attend the entire DC.
Acknowledgements
Support for the 2010 Doctoral Consortium is provided by AAAI and ACM’s SIGART (to date).
Inquiries
Concerning author instructions and conference registration, write to:
- aaai10@aaai.org
Concerning information about the doctoral consortium program and other inquiries, write to the Doctoral Consortium Chair or dc10@aaai.org.
Special Track Chair
- Chris Brooks
Harney Science Center, Room 54
University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080 USA
(415) 422-5221. Email: cbrooks@cs.usfca.edu
The Doctoral Consortium call for applications is also available as a printable PDF document