Call for Applications: ICLP 2013 Doctoral Student Consortium, Istanbul, Turkey, August 24

Mo Apr 1 09:01:36 CEST 2013

(Apologies for cross-posting.)

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			   ICLP-DC 2013

	      Ninth ICLP Doctoral Student Consortium
	  to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, 24 August 2013

		  http://www.unife.it/iclp-dc-13
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** Introduction **

The ICLP 2013 Doctoral Consortium (DC) is the ninth doctoral
consortium to be offered as part of the 29th International Conference
on Logic Programming (ICLP). The DC follows the very positive
experience of previous events held in Sitges (Spain) on October 3rd,
2005, in Seattle (WA, USA) on August 21st, 2006, in Porto (Portugal)
on September 8th, 2007, in Udine (Italy) on December 10th, 2008, in
Pasadena (CA, USA) on July 15th, 2009, in Edinburgh (Scotland) on July
20th, 2010, in Lexington (KY, USA) on July 6th, 2011, and in Budapest
(Hungary) on September 4th, 2012.

The DC will take place during ICLP 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey. It
provides a forum for doctoral students working in areas related to
logic and constraint programming, with a particular emphasis to
students interested in pursuing a career in academia. The DC is also
open to exceptional Master's students developing MS theses in areas of
scope. The DC gives students the opportunity to present and discuss
their research and to obtain feedback from peers as well as
world-renowned experts.

** General Information **

The aims of the Doctoral Consortium are to:

  - provide doctoral students working in the fields of logic and
    constraint programming with a friendly and open forum to present
    their research ideas, listen to ongoing work from peer students,
    and receive constructive feedback,

  - provide students with relevant information about important issues
    for doctoral candidates and future academics,

  - develop a supportive community of scholars and a spirit of
    collaborative research, and

  - support a new generation of researchers with information and
    advice on academic, research, industrial, and non-traditional
    career paths.

The DC is designed for students currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program,
though we are also open to exceptions (e.g., students currently in a
Master's program and aiming at doctoral studies). Students at any
stage in their doctoral studies are encouraged to apply for
participation in the DC. Applicants are expected to conduct research
in areas related to logic and constraint programming; topics of
interest include (but are not limited to):

  - Theoretical Foundations of Logic and Constraint (Logic)
    Programming;

  - Sequential and Parallel Implementation Technology;

  - Static and Dynamic Analysis, Abstract Interpretation, Compilation
    Technology, and Verification;

  - Logic-based Paradigms (e.g., Answer Set Programming, Concurrent
    Logic Programming, Inductive Logic Programming);

  - Innovative Applications of Logic Programming.

Submissions by students who have presented their work at previous ICLP
DC editions are allowed, but should occur only if there are
substantial changes or improvements to the student's work.

The DC allows participants to interact with established researchers
and fellow students, through presentations, question-answer sessions,
panel discussions, and invited talks.  Each participant will give a
short, critiqued, research presentation. Renowned experts in the field
will evaluate submission packages and participate in the DC, providing
valuable feedback to DC participants.

** Important Dates **

Submission Deadline:     May 3rd, 2013
Acceptance Notification: May 24th, 2013
Camera-ready Version:    July 18th, 2013
Doctoral Consortium:     August 24th, 2013
ICLP 2013 Conference:    August 24th-29th, 2013

** Application Procedure **

To apply for participation in the ICLP 2013 DC, provide a submission
package consisting of a cover letter, a research summary, and a letter
of recommendation (e.g., from your supervisor). All material is to be
submitted electronically, in PDF format, via EasyChair:

  https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=iclpdc13

All submissions must be in English. Submissions arriving after the
deadline will not be considered. Your submission should not contain
any proprietary or confidential material.

* Cover Letter

Please include the following information in the cover letter:

  - statement of interest in participating in the DC,

  - full name of school and department to which you are affiliated,

  - name(s) of your supervising professor(s),

  - title of your research work and keywords pertinent to your
    research,

  - current stage in your program of study (e.g. Ph.D./MS student,
    start date),

  - contact information (full name, address, telephone number, email
    address), and

  - the URL of your web page (if any).

* Research Summary

Prepare your research summary as a PDF document, using the TPLP
template:

  http://www.iclp2013.org/files/downloads/TPLP_style_files.tar.gz

Make sure to include your complete name, address, and affiliation.

The body of the research summary (no more than 10 pages, but 5 is fine
as well!) should provide a clear overview of your research, its
potential impact, and its current status.  You are encouraged to
include sections like the following:

  - Introduction and problem description

  - Background and overview of the existing literature

  - Goal of the research

  - Current status of the research

  - Preliminary results accomplished (if any)

  - Open issues and expected achievements

  - Bibliographical references

The (camera versions of) accepted applicants' research summaries will
be published as on-line abstracts in the Theory and Practice of Logic
Programming (TPLP) journal.

* Letter of Recommendation

Include a short letter of recommendation written by your graduate or
thesis adviser(s).  Please, invite your adviser(s) to give an
indication of the current status of your research and of the expected
deadline for thesis submission. In addition, your adviser(s) should
briefly describe what she/he hopes you would gain from participation
in the DC.

** Application Appraisement **

* Review Criteria

The DC program committee will select participants based on their
anticipated contribution to the DC objectives. Participants typically
have settled on their thesis directions and have their research
proposal accepted by their thesis committee. Students will be selected
based on clarity and completeness of their submission package,
relevance of their research area w.r.t. the focus of ICLP, stage of
research, recommendation letter, and evidence of promise towards a
successful career in research and academia, such as published papers
or technical reports.

* Best Contribution Award

The DC program committee will review submission packages and judge DC
presentations to assign the "Best ICLP 2013 DC Contribution" award
among participants. We plan to reserve a presentation slot for the
award-winning contributor in the ICLP 2013 main program. Updates
follow as soon as we have more information regarding this.

** Participant Funding **

The Association for Logic Programming (ALP) supports ICLP 2013 DC
participants by granting:

  - free registration to the conference,

  - free accommodation at the conference hotel (Armada Hotel),
    in a shared room with another student of the DC, and

  - a joint lunch with renowned researchers in the Logic Programming
    community.

** Organizers **

* Chairs

Marco Gavanelli
Engineering Department
Ferrara University, Italy

Martin Gebser
Institute for Informatics
University of Potsdam, Germany

* Email Address

iclpdc13 at lists.cs.uni-potsdam.de

* Program Committee

Fabio Fioravanti, University of Chieti-Pescara
Miguel Gomez-Zamalloa, Complutense University of Madrid
Matti Jarvisalo, University of Helsinki
Ekaterina Komendantskaya, University of Dundee
Francesca A. Lisi, University of Bari
Jose Francisco Morales, Technical University of Madrid
C. R. Ramakrishnan, Stony Brook University
Francesco Ricca, University of Calabria
Gerardo Simari, University of Oxford
Antoine Zimmermann, University of Grenoble