Introduction

The ICLP Doctoral Consortium (DC) is the sixth doctoral consortium to be offered as part of the 26th International Conference on Logic Programming. The DC follows the very positive experience of the previous events held held in Sitges (Spain) on October 3rd, 2005, in Seattle (WA) on August 21st, 2006, in Porto (Portugal) on September 8th, 2007, in Udine (Italy) on December 10th, 2008, and in Pasadena (USA) on July 15th, 2009.

The DC will take place at the end of ICLP 2010 in Edinburgh (Scotland, U.K.). The Doctoral Consortium is designed 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 Consortium is also open to exceptional Master's students developing MS Theses in Logic Programming. The Doctoral Consortium aims to provide students with an opportunity to present and discuss their research directions and to obtain feedback from peers as well as world-renown experts in the field.

General Information

This year the Doctoral Consortium will be held at the end if the regular activities of the ICLP 2010 Conference. The aims of the Doctoral Consortium are:

• To provide doctoral students working in the field 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.
• To provide students with relevant information about important issues for doctoral candidates and future academics.
• To develop a supportive community of scholars and a spirit of collaborative research.
• To support a new generation of researchers with information and advice on academic, research, industrial, and non-traditional career paths.

The Consortium is designed for students currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program, though we are also open to exceptions (e.g., students currently in a Masters program and interested in doctoral studies). Students at any stage in their doctoral studies are encouraged to apply. Applicants are expected to be conducting research in the field of Logic 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, 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 a previous ICLP Doctoral Consortiums are allowed, but should occur only if there are substantial changes or improvements to the student's work.

The Consortium allows participants to interact with established researchers and with other students, through presentations, question- answer sessions, panel discussions, and invited presentations. The Doctoral Consortium will provide the possibility to reflect - through short activities, information sessions, and discussions - on the process and lessons of research and life in academia. Each participant will give a short, critiqued, research presentation.

The Doctoral Consortium will be held on July 21, 2010; the ICLP conference will run from July 16th to July 19th, 2010. Doctoral Consortium participants will be offered the opportunity to have their abstracts published in the ICLP 2010 conference proceedings. The best paper and presentation from the Doctoral Consortium will be given the opportunity to present in special session of the main ICLP conference.

Discussants:

Several renowned faculty members and researchers in the field of Logic Programming will join in evaluating the submission packets and will participate in the Doctoral Consortium, providing feedback to the presenters.

Submission Process

Application Process:

To apply for participation to the ICLP 2010 Doctoral Consortium, prepare a submission package consisting of a cover letter, a research summary, and a letter of recommendation (e.g., from your supervisor). The material should be submitted electronically, in PDF format.

Review Criteria:

The ICLP 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. Students will be selected based on clarity and completeness of the submission packet, relevance of their research area w.r.t. the focus of the ICLP Conference, stage of research, advisor's letter, and evidence of promise towards a successful research and academic career, such as published papers or technical reports.

Award:

The ICLP Doctoral Consortium Discussants will review the submissions to select the ones to be presented. The organizing committee is actively seeking support to offer scholarship packages to accepted participants. We will update the web site as soon as we have more information regarding this.

Submission Package

Send the submission package by e-mail to: iclp10dc@gmail.com. Include the three documents as separate pdf files in attachment.

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

Detailed instructions for each of the documents follow below.

Cover Page:

Please include the following information in the cover page:

1. Statement of interest in participating in the Doctoral Consortium
2. Full name and School and Department in which you are earning your doctorate degree
3. Contact information - address, telephone number, and email address
4. Title of your research and keywords pertinent to your research
5. The URL of your web page (if any)
6. Name of your supervising professor
7. Current stage in your program of study, e.g. (Master/PhD student, start date)

Research Summary:

Prepare your research summary as a PDF document, using either the same format style as for the regular submissions to ICLP 2010, or the Springer Verlag LNCS Conference Publication Format.

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

The body of your research summary should provide a clear overview of the research, its potential impact, and its current status. You are encouraged to include the following sections:

1. Introduction and problem description
2. Background and overview of the existing literature
3. Goal of the research
4. Current status of the research
5. Preliminary results accomplished (if any)
6. Open issues and expected achievements
7. Bibliographical references

Letter of Recommendation:

Include a letter of recommendation written by your Graduate Advisor or Thesis Advisor. Please, invite your advisor to include an assessment of the current status of your thesis research and an indication of the expected deadline for thesis submission. In addition, your advisor should indicate what she/he hopes you would gain from participation in the Doctoral Consortium.