Message from Elizabeth and Jean, Co-Chairs The CHI2004 Doctoral Consortium provides an ideal opportunity for doctoral students to explore their research interests in an interdisciplinary workshop, under the guidance of a panel of distinguished research faculty, with travel and other expenses provided by the conference. In the past, many consortium participants reported this as a valuable experience as part of their doctoral studies. We offer you an excellent experience and ask you to apply.
About the Doctoral Consortium
The CHI 2004 Doctoral Consortium provides an ideal opportunity for doctoral students to explore their research interests in an interdisciplinary workshop, under the guidance of a panel of distinguished research faculty. The Consortium has the following specific objectives:
Provide a supportive setting for feedback on participants' current research and guidance on future research directions.
Offer each participant comments and fresh perspectives on their work from researchers and faculty outside their own institution, and from other students.
Promote the development of a supportive community of scholars within a spirit of collaborative research.
Discuss potential career paths within academia and industry.
Contribute to the conference goals through interaction with other researchers and conference events.
The Consortium will be held on Sunday 25th and Monday 26th April 2004. About 15 students and four "faculty" will be invited to attend and discuss each student's work in turn. Student participants will have their abstracts published in the conference Extended Abstracts, and a poster of their work exhibited at the main conference. Students will receive complimentary conference registration, and reimbursement of travel, accommodation and subsistence (i.e. food) expenses up to $750 USD. Each participant in the Doctoral Consortium is expected to attend both days, including dinner on Saturday and Sunday. A report on the Doctoral Consortium will be published in the SIGCHI Bulletin.
Kluwer Doctoral Consortium Award
For the first time in CHI history, an award will be delivered for the best Doctoral Consortium contribution. Kluwer Academics is pleased to sponsor this award by offering stationery and a suite of HCI books for a value of $500 USD.
Applying to the Doctoral Consortium
If you are applying to the doctoral consortium and submitting to student posters, you may wish to submit the same extended abstract and poster layout items to both.
If accepted, you will be expected to complete your travel arrangements immediately.
To apply, prepare a package consisting of an extended abstract, a personal research statement, a poster layout, a letter of recommendation, and an estimate of expenses. The deadline for submission is 5:00 p.m. (1700) PST Monday, 12 January 2004. Note that this deadline is later than in previous years. However, due to the late deadline for this track, neither late nor incomplete submissions can be considered at all. Both the set of items, and each of them individually, must be complete, correct, and submitted by the deadline. Thus, you will need to begin preparing your submission several weeks before this, to ensure that you have all essential information in place.
Extended Abstract
Prepare a two-page extended abstract of your thesis work in the Conference Publications Format, including: title, author information, abstract, keywords, thesis research summary, and references. The extended abstract may cover HCI-related topic. It is desirable, but not required, to emphasize the conference theme “Connect” wherever appropriate. This extended abstract, if accepted for the Doctoral Consortium, will be published in the CHI2004 Extended Abstracts. Thus it will be widely available to conference delegates and those with access to ACM publications. Because of the late deadline, it will be published in the version you submit in your application. The extended abstract should clearly specify:
The problem(s) that the proposed research is addressing.
The main contribution(s) of the research to the HCI field.
The proposed solution(s), including a brief description of the methodology adopted (for example, with the scheme Method-Results-Discussion for experimental studies), of the advance status, and of a tentative plan for future work.
Personal Research Statement
This will be circulated only to other consortium participants and the reviewers. It should be kept short, but might usefully include material not suitable for the published abstract, such as any issues or provisional research plans you would like discussed at the consortium, what you most would like to gain from the consortium (for example, “I am confident of the technical content but would like detailed comment on my experimental design” or “I am fairly confident of my research design, but would like discussion of how this does (or doesn't) relate to more mainstream HCI”), and a brief biographical sketch that includes educational background, research experience, potential publications, and any additional information that would help the review committee evaluate your potential contribution to the Consortium.
Poster Layout
This is a one-page diagram showing the proposed layout of the poster presentation. This poster sketch should be in the same format as required for other posters at the conference. For additional information on how to prepare your poster, please see Poster Preparation Guidelines.
Letter of Recommendation
Provide a letter of recommendation from your thesis advisor that includes an assessment of your research, the outcomes of any formal reviews, and your expected timetable for completion. This letter should briefly state what your supervisor expects you to gain from, and to contribute to, the consortium. This may be sent separately to the Doctoral Consortium Co-chairs at chi2004-doc@acm.org, if desired, but as it is required, be sure that it is sent.
Estimate of Expenses
Please submit an estimate of the expenses you will be claiming if accepted for the consortium. This should include travel to and from airports (not only the basic air fare), your accommodations, and subsistence (meals). Your estimate should be as accurate as possible, and you should be in a position to complete your travel arrangements immediately on acceptance.
If You Require a Visa to Travel to Vienna, Austria
Please state whether you will need a visa to visit Austria. If you will need a visa to visit Austria, you must prepare completely for this before submission, and apply for your visa immediately on notification of acceptance.
All submissions must be in English. Submissions should be submitted electronically in PDF format. Submissions arriving after the deadline will not be considered. Responsibility for permissions to use video, audio or pictures of identifiable people rests with you, not with CHI2004. You will receive email notification upon receipt of your submission. Send your completed package to chi2004-doc@acm.org.
Requests for Mentoring
Mentoring is not available for the Doctoral Consortium. If you have any questions or require guidance on your submission, please contact the Doctoral Consortium co-chairs at the earliest opportunity.
Review Criteria
The best Doctoral Consortium contribution will be judged against the following criteria:
Originality of work.
Importance of the work for setting up the fundamental aspects of HCI.
Rigorousness and soundness of results, gained or expected.
Balance between theoretical and experimental results.
The processes of reviewing Doctoral Consortium submissions and entries for the award will be organized jointly, but are independent.
Review Process
The Doctoral Consortium review committee will select participants based on their anticipated contribution to the Consortium objectives. Participants typically have settled on their thesis directions and had their research proposal accepted by their thesis committee, but will still have enough time after the conference for it to be possible for new ideas and advice to make a difference to their research. The best Doctoral Consortium contribution will be decided by:
Elizabeth Churchill, CHI2004 Doctoral Consortium co-chair.
John Karat, co-editor in chief of the Kluwer International Series on HCI.
Jean Vanderdonckt, CHI2004 Doctoral Consortium co-chair and co-editor in chief of the Kluwer International Series on HCI.
A panel of reviewers coming from different international backgrounds.
Confidentiality of Submissions
Confidentiality of submissions is maintained during the review process. All submitted materials for rejected papers will be kept confidential in perpetuity. All submitted materials for accepted papers will be kept confidential until the date of the conference, October 24, 2004. Submissions should contain no information or materials that will be proprietary or confidential at the time of publication, and should cite no publications that will be proprietary or confidential at the time of publication.
Upon Acceptance
Applicants will be notified by 23 February 2004 whether they have been accepted. If you cannot complete your travel arrangements, get a visa if needed, and attend the complete Doctoral Consortium, you must inform the Doctoral Consortium co-chairs immediately so that your place can be offered to another student.
At the Consortium
Each participant in the Doctoral Consortium is expected to attend throughout both days, including dinner on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April. Distinguished members of the CHI community will join you for each dinner and lunch. You will present your work in one of the sessions, and work with other students in some collaborative sessions.
After the Consortium
After the Consortium but at the conference, all participants are also expected to put up a poster on their research for display, and to present it at the scheduled poster session. A report on the doctoral consortium will be published in the SIGCHI Bulletin.
Doctoral Consortium Submission Checklist
Email your application as a set of attached documents in PDF format to chi2004-doc@acm.org by the deadline of 5:00 pm (1700) PST Monday, 12 January 2004.
Your application must include all of the following:
Extended abstract
Personal research statement
Poster layout sketch
Letter of recommendation
Estimate of expenses
If accepted, you must:
Arrange your travel and accommodation immediately, keeping receipts for use when claiming reimbursement for your expenses. Typically, you should arrive in time for dinner Saturday 24 April, and leaving on the afternoon of Thursday 29 April. If you will require a visa for entry to Austria, complete your application process immediately.
