(Apologies for cross-posting.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   ICLP-DC 2013

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

                         http://sites.unife.it/iclp-dc-13/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


** 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 providing
accommodation/travel grants and/or sponsoring ICLP 2013 main conference registration.
Updates follow as soon as we have more information regarding this.


** Organizers **

* Chairs

Marco Gavanelli
Engineering Department
Ferrara University, Italy

Martin Gebser
Institute for Informatics
University of Potsdam, Germany

* Email Address

[log in to unmask]

* Program Committee

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