SIGAI CNC 2016

SIGAI Career Network Conference (CNC)

Flyer: http://sigai.acm.org/static/cnc_flyer.pdf

The second ACM SIGAI Career Network Conference is an opportunity for early career researchers, particularly students and postdocs who will be on the job market, to present their research to each other and to potential employers as well as other senior researchers who want to learn about cutting-edge AI research. In addition, we will have a panel of employers as well as a group of mentors who will give specific advice to those on the job market.

Submission is very lightweight: a one-page abstract / research statement is the main requirement. SIGAI will be providing travel support for selected applicants. We think this is going to be a great event, and we'd love to get some more diversity of AI areas represented in the program.

While the CNC is a unique opportunity for early-career researchers, participation is open to anyone interested in AI research. Come hear about some of the most exciting recent research, and to network with up-and-coming researchers and members of research organizations.

The conference will feature talks and posters from more than 30 soon-to-graduate Ph.D. students and postdocs
working in AI, as well as panel discussions with seasoned researchers in academia and industry. It is a great venue to get a good sense of what is going on at the leading edge of AI research, and talks and posters are structured to be of significantly greater breadth than at a typical conference.

CNC is also a great place for students and professionals looking for internships or jobs to meet with representatives from companies and academia. The conference will include a "job fair" where all attendees from potential employers will have the opportunity to introduce their organization and its job opening(s) for one minute to the entire audience, and there will be a "meet and greet" event scheduled where representatives will have marked, designated spaces where students and postdocs who will be on the job market can find them. There will also be many chances to mingle, both informally and over meals, receptions, and poster sessions.

If you are representing a company, research organization or university and would like to participate in the job fair, please send an email with your contact information to Sanmay Das (sanmay@wustl.edu) as soon as possible (even before registering). We will then send you instructions to help you advertise your job openings best at the conference.

We also encourage students, including those who are not on the job market, to attend CNC. Student registration is economical, priced at marginal cost, and students who attended in 2015 found that the event was very useful in learning about the job market and what is going on in the field.

SUBMISSION

We welcome submissions from both Ph.D. students who will complete their dissertations in Spring or Summer 2017 as well as postdocs who defended their dissertations in 2011 or later. Please submit:

• A one-page abstract (plus references), similar to a research statement.
• A short description of your career interests and aspirations.
• An up-to-date academic CV.
• A letter of recommendation from your Ph.D. or postdoctoral advisor.

If accepted, only the abstract will be published in the proceedings. Detailed instructions: sigai.acm.org/cnc/submit.

ORGANIZERS

• Samantha Kleinberg (Stevens Institute of Technology)
• Rafael Frongillo (University of Colorado Boulder)
• Sanmay Das (Washington University in Saint Louis)

MENTORS

• David Parkes (Harvard University)
• Noemie Elhadad (Columbia University)
• Susan Epstein (Hunter College, CUNY)

...and more coming soon!