ICAPS 2024 Doctoral Consortium

The Doctoral Consortium (DC) will provide Ph.D. students with the opportunity to interact closely with established researchers. The consortium has the following objectives: (1) to provide a setting for students to get feedback on their current research and guidance on future research directions; (2) to develop a supportive community of scholars and a spirit of collaborative research, improving the cohesion of new researchers with the ICAPS community; (3) to support a new generation of diverse researchers by offering advice about academic, research, industry, and nontraditional career paths; and (4) to contribute to the overall conference goals, through interactions with other researchers and through participation in conference events.

The DC is open to all doctoral student attendees of the conference and will take place on June 1st. Registering for the Doctoral Consortium will be part of the registration process for the conference and all students are invited to take part in it.

As part of the Doctoral Consortium, ICAPS will offer a Mentoring Program. We encourage current doctoral students (students whose Ph.D. is in progress) to apply for the Mentoring Program. We strongly encourage applications from students with diverse backgrounds to increase the diversity of thought and perspective within the ICAPS community.

Mentoring Program

The Mentoring Program is designed to provide graduate students with an opportunity for in-depth advice by senior members of the field regarding careers and research skills. Ideal candidates will be mid-way through their program, meaning they have a clear topic and research approach, with some concrete progress but also sufficient time remaining in their program to consider integrating suggestions and new ideas. Each student accepted to the program will be matched with an established researcher in the field who will assist the student with research and career management advice. Students do not need to be accepted into the Mentoring Program to attend and participate in the Doctoral Consortium.

Invited Talk

Sven Koenig

How to Pick a Research Topic, Achieve Impact, and Find a Job

I will talk about how to pick a good research topic and, once you have found one, what you can do to increase the odds that your research impacts other researchers (and beyond) and you find an exciting job. Of course, there are many ways to do that, and none of them is surefire. So, I will start by talking about research in general and then try to provide some observations based on my own research experience.

Short Bio

Sven is Dean’s Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southern California. His research focuses on decision-making techniques from artificial intelligence that enable single, situated agents (such as robots or decision-support systems) and teams of agents to act intelligently in real-time. Additional information about him can be found on his webpages: idm-lab.org.

Application Procedure for the Mentoring Program

To participate in the Mentoring Program, an application is required. Applicants for the Mentoring Program should submit a single PDF file containing:

• A dissertation abstract (not a paper) of at most 4 pages, using AAAI style.
• A CV.
• A letter from the candidate’s Ph.D. advisor, program coordinator, or the school administration confirming the applicant’s enrollment in the Ph.D. program.
• A representative/exemplary conference publication (to share with a mentor – optional).
• A list of potential mentors (optional)

Submission link: http://tinyurl.com/ICAPSDC24

Review Process

If all applications cannot be supported, selection will be based on the above material and the student’s graduation date. Institutional representation will be taken into account to support a diverse cohort.

Important Dates for the Mentoring Program

• Submission website opens: January 30, 2024
• Submission deadline: February 19, 2024 March 1, 2024
• Notification date: March 2024
• Doctoral Consortium: June 1, 2024

* Students who require an early decision due to visa application are encouraged to reach out to the DC chairs by email (dc@icaps2024.com) after submitting their application.

Student Support

We are looking into ways to provide student support partly covering travel and/or registration costs. Additional funding information will be available closer to the notification date.

Schedule (tentative)

Contact Information

For any questions or concerns, please contact the DC chairs:

• Eldan Cohen, eldan.cohen[at]utoronto[dot]ca
• Sandhya Saisubramanian, sandhya.sai[at]oregonstate[dot]edu