Doctoral Consortium
Description
The 8th Annual ICCBR Doctoral Consortium (DC) is designed to nurture PhD candidates by providing them with opportunities to explore and obtain mutual feedback on their research, future work plans, and career objectives with senior CBR researchers, practitioners and peers. We invite submissions from students, as described below. Selected students will be asked to prepare and present an oral presentation at the DC. We also plan for some invited talks and/or panels from senior CBR researchers and/or practitioners and additional social arrangements will be arranged to encourage further conversations with mentors and fellow students
Participants
We encourage participation from all PhD students, whether at the start or towards the end of their PhD candidacy. Participants need to clearly indicate their stage of PhD research. Those who are at the early to midpoint stage of their candidacy and who have not yet received substantial feedback from the greater research community will be paired with a mentor who will advise them on their research trajectory, writing and presentation. Those who are at a later stage in their research will have an opportunity to present their PhD work to date to a group of CBR senior researchers for feedback and advice.
Submissions
We welcome applications from PhD candidates worldwide. To apply, please submit the following materials, in a single pdf file, via the ICCBR EasyChair submission system by July 31st 2016:
- Application Cover Page (max 1 page): This should include your goals for participating in the DC, questions on your research topic or research to date that you may wish to discuss and get advice on, and you can offer to other DC participants. Please also include (1) the time at which you began your PhD studies, (2) your estimated graduation date, and (3) your supervisory team (if they have been selected) so we don't assign one of them as your mentor!
- Research Summary (max 5 pages): This should outline the problem(s) being addressed, the proposed research plan, and a description of progress to date. This short paper must be in ICCBR 2016 LNCS Springer format and include references.
- Curriculum Vita (max 1 page): This should list the student's most relevant background, experience (research, education, employment) and publication references (if any).
- Letter of Recommendation (max 1 page): A written communication from your PhD supervisor including an assessment on the status of the research and an expected date of completion. Non-PhD students are also welcome to apply, in which case this should be from a suitable adviser (e.g., at their institution).
Note: the Application Cover Page, Research Summary, CV, and supervisor's support letter should all start on new pages within the same pdf file.
Applicants will be notified on whether their Research Summary has been accepted for oral presentation at the DC by 5th September 2016.
A final version of the Research Summary paper to be presented will be due on 23rd Sept 2016. Accepted applicants are expected to commit to attending all DC activities at the conference.
Important Dates
- Submission deadline:
31 July 2016 - Notification deadline:
5th September 2016 - Final Camera Ready Copy due: 23rd September 2016
- Doctoral Consortium: 31st October 2016
Organizers
- Chair: Sarah Jane Delany, Dublin Institute of Technology (sarahjane (dot) delany (at) dit (dot) ie)
- Co-chair: Sefania Montani, University of Piemonte Orientale (stefania (dot) montani (at) unipmn (dot) it)
Mentor Invitation
ICCBR 2016 invites senior CBR researchers to serve as mentors for the 2016 Doctoral Consortium. Mentor responsibilities will include (1) providing brief informal reviews on one or a few participant applications (as needed), (2) corresponding with an assigned DC participant prior to ICCBR 2016 (e.g., writing to them, providing feedback on a few iterations of their presentation), (3) meeting with the participant at the start of the DC, and (4) attending at least two DC presentations, including their assigned participant's presentation, thus mentors will still have ample time to attend co-scheduled events. Mentors will also lead their participant's question/answering session.
If you can serve as a mentor, please contact Sarah Jane Delany (sarahjane (dot) delany (at) dit (dot) ie) directly or tick the relevant box in the registration form.
Please indicate if there are any particular areas within your research interests that we should prioritise when assigning you to applicants.
Program Committee for Doctoral Consortium
Agnar Aamodt, NTNU, Norway
David Aha, Naval Research Lab, USA
Kerstin Bach, NTNU, Norway
Ralph Bergmann, University of Trier, Germany
Isabelle Bichinaritz, State University of New York at Oswego, USA
Alexandra Coman, Ohio Northern University, USA
Klaus-Dieter Kalthoff, DFKI/ University of Hildesheim, Germany
Michael Floyd, Knexus Research, USA
Stelios Kapetanakis, University of Brighton, USA
Luc Lamontagne, Laval University, Canada
David Leake, Indiana University, USA
Jean Lieber, INRIA, Lorraine, France
Cindy Marling, Ohio University, USA
Santiago Ontanon, Drexel University, USA
Luigi Portinale, Universita Piemonte Orientale, Italy
Elizabeth Whitaker, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Doctoral Consortium Testimonials From Previous Students
Kerstin Bach, Universität Hildesheim, Germany (ICCBR-09 DC participant):
"I took part in the first DC held at the ICCBR 2009 and it was the first time I had the possibility to talk about my PhD thesis with CBR researchers outside our own research group. Writing the application material was the first time I had to describe the scope of my thesis, which is good, because it eases the question about the topic of you theses. During the DC, discussing my proposal was extremely helpful for getting a feeling how much context I should to explain, so other researchers can follow my approaches. Also, my mentor gave me useful advices on how to continue my work and additional sources I should take a look at. I really enjoyed the discussion about my work with all the mentors after the talk and it was quite impressive that so many CBR researchers were in the audience listening to the DC participants."
Alexandra Coman, Lehigh University, USA (ICCBR-10 DC participant):
"The ICCBR Doctoral Consortium is where my recently-begun research became real to me. It transformed, in my mind, from a somewhat artificial construction, held together by little more than my advisor's and my own interest in it, into something that knowledgeable people outside our lab microcosm might want to hear more about, point out the flaws of, suggest unexpected uses for, and, above all, graciously help improve. It takes greatness of heart to offer patience and guidance to a beginner who has read you name in countless reference sections; it has been my great fortune to meet such people at the Doctoral Consortium."
Michael Floyd, Carleton University, Canada (ICCBR-11 DC participant):
"I was very happy that I participated in the Doctoral Consortium at ICCBR 2011. I had published some parts of my doctoral research at previous ICCBR conferences and workshops but the DC allowed me to get feedback on my research as a whole. I received excellent feedback and advice from my mentor, Ian Watson, as well as other CBR researchers who attended the student presentations. The feedback I received did not only come during my presentation/question period but through the entire conference during many conversations and discussions. In addition to the student presentations, I also enjoyed the presentations by CBR researchers as they reflected on their career paths. Overall, I would strongly recommend this event to anyone thinking about participating."
Atilim Gunes Baydin, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain (ICCBR-11 DC participant):
"I participated in the ICCBR 2011 Doctoral Consortium in London. It was a great experience that has proven to be extremely valuable for my research, giving me a chance to receive feedback from the international research community outside the circle of my home institution. After my presentation, the comments and criticisms I have received were very constructive and made me realize the weaker points of my approach, giving me a chance to address these before they would come up during later stages of my PhD. I was paired with a definite expert for my subject, Kevin Ashley, as my mentor. After the consortium, following the kind advice of David Aha, this eventually culminated in a research visit to Prof. Ashley's group at the University of Pittsburgh. This event was definitely, and in many ways, a turning point for the progress of my PhD study."
Youssef Oualmakran, University of Girona, Spain (ICCBR-11 DC participant):
"I received a lot of interesting feedback at the ICCBR Doctoral Consortium in 2011 from both my mentor and other researchers at the presentation of my project. It was the first time I received so much feedback. The process of writing a 3 page summary and fixing it iteratively with the comments of the mentor contributes to clarify your ideas. The ICCBR is also an opportunity to meet PhD students facing the same kind of problems as you. So, if you are making a PhD related to CBR, I recommend that you consider participating in the ICCBR Doctoral Consortium.
Jay Powell, Indiana University, USA (ICCBR-09 DC participant):
"I participated in the first ICCBR Doctoral Consortium in 2009 and found it to be very helpful. I was able to present my work to a large group of people in a relaxed environment. The feedback I received from my presentation was especially useful. I was able to incorporate the advice into my thesis proposal and defense, leading to much stronger presentations. The advice I was given on how to clarify certain points in my technical paper also helped greatly while writing my doctoral dissertation."
Jonathan Rubin, University of Auckland, New Zealand (ICCBR-11 participant):
"My main motivation for attending the Doctoral Consortium at ICCBR 2011 was to discuss with senior CBR researchers the contributions of my PhD and get community feedback on my research. I was very happy with the overall experience. The reviews I received on my research summary were of great use to me and helped to identify areas of my work to focus on, going forward. During my presentation I received constructive advice and guidance from both mentors, as well as other DC attendees. Lastly, I gained a better perspective on my own research through the input provided to me by my personal mentor (Stefania Montani)."
Christian Severin Sauer, University of West London, England (ICCBR-11 DC participant):
"The ICCBR-11 Doctoral Consortium was my first opportunity to present my doctoral thesis, although in a very early stage, to a high profile audience comprising leading experts in CBR research. Even before the DC the feedback on my submission and the guidance by my mentor was swift and very useful. Presenting and discussing my thesis then during the DC helped me to focus my research questions. Additionally the feedback I was able to get, especially from my mentor, was very valuable to improve my presentation skills. Besides the valuable feedback on my thesis I enjoyed the very social atmosphere and the opportunity to directly discuss with the leading experts in CBR. The possibility to exchange my ideas with the other DC student participants also provided me with insight in their interesting work and the opportunity to develop links within the CBR community."
Gleb Sizov, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway (ICCBR-11 DC participant):
"Participation in the Doctoral Consortium at ICCBR 2011 was very helpful for me. The feedback I got from my mentor, Susan Craw, as well as other experienced CBR researchers inspired me to look into potential problems with the presented approach and to refine my research ideas. It was also very instructive to watch other DC participants presenting their research and getting feedback. A somewhat informal atmosphere of the DC provided a great opportunity to get in contact with other researchers in the field and, since it is part of the larger conference, there was enough time for discussions after the DC as well."
Raafat Zarka, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France (ICCBR-11 DC participant):
"I had the chance to participate in the Doctoral Consortium during ICCBR-11 Conference. It was a great opportunity to meet other researchers and PhD students in CBR domain. I received interesting feedback and advice from my mentor (Klaus-Dieter Althoff) and the various participants, I tried to make use of them later to advance my research. I also had a publication in the conference, which helped me to continue the discussion and exchange of ideas during it. After the conference this helped me to remain in touch with some of the participants. It also helped me with my internship at Quebec this year working with one of the CBR community's senior researchers (Luc Lamontagne). This year I will be on the organization team of ICCBR-12 in Lyon. I would be happy to meet with new participants of the Doctoral Consortium during the conference."
Eduardo Lupiani, University of Murcia, Spain (ICCBR-12 DC participant):
"The Doctoral Consortium at ICCBR 2012 was an incredible opportunity to me. It was my introduction to CBR community and a milestone in my PhD studies. I had very interesting conversations with my tutor Ralph Bergmann, and David Aha. Besides, I was given good feedback because of participants' questions. The environment was relaxed and familiar, and you can see that both the questions and advices point you out the right direction in your research. Definitely, it is worthy of consideration to participate in this Doctoral Consortium."
Lotta Rintala, Aalto University, School of Chemical Technology, Finland (ICCBR-12 DC participant):
"I'm a PhD student in the field of material science, planning to use CBR as a methodology for problem solving in my multidisciplinary thesis. Participating in the DC at ICCBR 2012 was a great opportunity to meet and get feedback from the researchers in CBR domain. I got plenty of good advice and new aspects to think about. I had very interesting conversations with my mentor (Agnar Aamodt), which helped me to understand how to outline the CBR part of my thesis more precisely. Discussions about how achievable my goals were also very useful. I warmly recommend participating in the DC for all the postgraduates whose research is connected to the CBR."