Doctoral Consortium

Doctoral Consortium

Quick Facts

As discussion of student work and networking between participants is at the core of the Doctoral Consortium (DC), we have opted against a hybrid DC (which would disadvantage online participants). The DC will consist of two separate events: (1) a virtual event taking place mid-April in multiple sessions and (2) a two-day, single-track event taking place in New Orleans before the on-site event. The primary goal of DC, whether virtual or on-site, is to provide a forum for meaningful research discussions and building a mentoring and peer network. In their submission, participants will indicate their desire to attend either the on-site DC or the virtual event. Selected candidates will be offered positions in one of the two events.

Important Dates

All times are in Anywhere on Earth (AoE) time zone. When the deadline is day D, the last time to submit is when D ends AoE. Check your local time in AoE.

• Submission deadline: October 14, 2021
• Notification date: December 1, 2021
• e-rights completion deadline: December 8, 2021
• initial upload to TAPS deadline: December 16, 2021
• publication-ready deadline: January 6, 2022

Submission Details

• Online submission: PCS Submission System
• Template: ACM Master Article Submission Templates (single column)
• Submission: including research summary, benefits statement, letter of recommendation and C.V. (see detailed instructions below).

Selection Process

Curated

Chairs

Raimund Dachselt, Melissa Densmore, Sheena Erete, Nathalie Henry Riche, Eva Hornecker,
Julie Kientz, Rita Orji, Casey Fiesler, Max van Kleek, Jude Yew
dc@chi2022.acm.org

At the Conference

Each accepted submission will be presented either at the two-day on-site DC event or at the virtual DC event. The on-site DC event will take place before the on-site conference in New Orleans. The virtual DC event will take place in-between the start of the virtual conference event and the start of the on-site conference event. The target date for the virtual DC is the week starting April 18, but specific organization of the virtual DC event will be refined based on selected participants.

All DC participants will receive specific instructions about the presentation format, which may be a pre-recorded talk (virtual event) or a live talk (on-site event). Presentation and discussion format will vary depending on the event to foster discussion and maximize participant attention. Accepted submissions from both events will also be given an opportunity to be presented as a poster at the on-site conference.

After the Conference

Doctoral Consortium abstracts will be published in the Extended Abstracts for the conference and archived in the ACM Digital Library.

Message from the Doctoral Consortium Chairs

The CHI 2022 Doctoral Consortium provides an opportunity for PhD students to present, explore and develop their research interests in an interdisciplinary workshop, under the guidance of a panel of distinguished HCI researchers. We invite students who would appreciate feedback on their dissertation research and want to increase its visibility to apply for this unique opportunity to share and discuss their work with fellow Ph.D. students and senior researchers in the field. 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. In your application, please give an overview of the structure of your program and where you are within that structure – it may help to provide your projected timeline for your research. Candidates should explain both how they hope to benefit, as well as what they can contribute by participating.

What is the Doctoral Consortium?

The CHI 2022 Doctoral Consortium is an event where Ph.D. students will present their current and future research. Selected candidates will receive complimentary conference registration, and, where possible, limited travel support. Goals include:

• Providing a setting for students to discuss their research with distinguished HCI researchers and doctoral students outside their own institution;
• Offering individual feedback and fresh perspectives about each students’ current research and suggest possibilities for future research directions;
• Promoting the development of a supportive community of scholars and a spirit of collaborative research; and
• Contributing to the conference goals through interaction with other researchers and conference events.

Preparing and Submitting your Doctoral Consortium Proposal

Candidates must submit their Doctoral Consortium proposals by the submission deadline. Each proposal should be a single PDF, with four required components: a six-page description of your Ph.D., an expected benefits statement, a recommendation letter, and a two-page curriculum vitae. If you are unable to obtain a letter of recommendation from your thesis advisor, please include a short explanation.

Applicants need to indicate which of the two events (virtual or on-site) they anticipate being able to participate in, in case of acceptance.

1. Six-page research description (excluding references): Use the ACM Master Article Submission Templates (single column) template and include the following:
   • Your name, Advisor(s) name(s), and the university where you are conducting your doctoral work
   • Current year of study and projected completion date (plus information about the regulations of your PhD program regarding length, any part-time study, etc.)
   • Context and motivation for your research
   • Key related work that frames your research
   • Specific research objectives, goals or questions
   • Research progress to date
   • Research approach, methods and rationale
   • Results and contributions to date
   • Expected next steps
   • Dissertation status and long term goals
2. Benefits and Contribution statement (two paragraphs)
   • Describe what you hope to gain by participating in the Doctoral Consortium, and how your participation will benefit other students and faculty.
3. Letter of Recommendation (from primary thesis advisor)
   • Describe your interaction with the student and your assessment of the quality of their work. Explain how the CHI 2022 doctoral consortium would benefit this student at this point in their doctoral program, as well as the contributions you expect the student to make to the group.
   • The doctoral consortium is targeted towards students who have a clear idea of their research plans and started their research, but have not yet executed a majority of their research plan. Please explain the structure of your student’s program and their expected level of progress by April 2022.
   • As stated above, if a student is unable to obtain a letter of recommendation from their thesis advisor (or the equivalent), please include a short explanation and a description of where you are in your doctoral progress and anticipated timeline.
4. Curriculum Vitae: (maximum two pages)
   • Provide a concise summary of your current curriculum vitae, including research publications. (Clearly separate published papers from those under review or in press.)

Please ensure that your submission is complete and conforms to the format and content guidelines above. Because the Doctoral Consortium Committee expects to receive a large number of applications, submissions that do not meet these requirements will be rejected automatically.

Authors are strongly encouraged to work on improving the accessibility of their submissions, using recommendations found in the Guide to an Accessible Submission.

Doctoral Consortium Selection Process

The Doctoral Consortium committee will review and select candidates via a curation process that considers both research quality and additional factors. Our goal is to identify a set of students who will benefit significantly from the event and support each other in the future. We will seek diversity in backgrounds, identities, abilities, topics, and geographic areas, and are unlikely to accept more than two students from the same institution. We will not accept more than one student with the same advisor. Given the strong demand, please do not apply if you have already participated in a doctoral consortium at a previous CHI, UIST, CSCW, DIS, UbiComp, or any other major SIGCHI conference.

Submissions should not contain sensitive, private, or proprietary information that cannot be disclosed at publication time. Submissions should NOT be anonymous. However, confidentiality of submissions will be maintained during the review process. All rejected submissions will be kept confidential in perpetuity.

The 6-page description papers for accepted submissions will be kept confidential until the start of the doctoral consortium activities, with the exception of title and author information, which will be published on the website prior to the conference. The description papers will be published as CHI Extended Abstracts. All other materials (Benefits and Contribution Statement, Letter of Recommendation, and Curriculum Vitae) will be kept confidential in perpetuity.

Upon Acceptance of your Doctoral Consortium Proposal

Authors of accepted submissions will receive instructions on how to submit the publication version of their submission, as well as how to prepare the presentation and the poster. Authors will also receive information about doctoral consortium registration and attending the conference.

We anticipate that partial support for participant attendance at the consortium will be provided by CHI 2022. All such benefits are contingent upon attending the Doctoral Consortium. Travel benefits are contingent upon attending the on-site DC event. Please note that submissions will not be published without a signed ACM copyright form. Obtaining permissions to use video, audio, or pictures of identifiable people or proprietary content rests with the author, not the ACM or the CHI conference.

Virtual Event

The virtual event will take place over multiple sessions (to account for time zones and also preserving participants focus and maximizing participation). Participants will be expected to participate actively in multiple of these sessions, including a fun virtual social event.

Each student will present their work to the group with substantial time allowed for discussion and questions by the faculty and other students. Being accepted into the CHI Doctoral Consortium is a prestigious honor and involves a commitment to giving and receiving thoughtful commentary with an eye towards shaping the field and upcoming participants in the field.

On-site Event

Persons attending the on-site event are expected to attend the Consortium in full, including a group dinner on the first evening and a wrap-up reception on the second evening. Students should also bring a small version of their poster, on A4 or letter-size paper, to hand out during the Doctoral Consortium and poster sessions.

Each student will present their work to the group with substantial time allowed for discussion and questions by the faculty and other students. Being accepted into the CHI Doctoral Consortium is a prestigious honor and involves a commitment to giving and receiving thoughtful commentary with an eye towards shaping the field and upcoming participants in the field.

Poster Session

Both virtual and in-person participants will present a poster of their work at the main conference, during the Doctoral Consortium poster session. A process for printing out posters from the virtual event attendees will be set up.

Publication Date

The official publication date is the date the proceedings are made available in the ACM Digital Library. This date may be up to two weeks prior to the first day of the on-site conference event. (Note that the official publication date affects the deadline for any patent filings related to published work.)

After the Conference

Doctoral Consortium description papers will be published as CHI Extended Abstracts in the ACM Digital Library.

If, when submitting to this venue, you detect a conflict of interest with one of its program committee members, contact the chairs. Should you have a conflict with the venue chairs themselves, contact the technical program chairs (tpc@chi2022.acm.org).