Call for Participation

Ph.D. Colloquium - Sunday 22nd April 2012 9am – 4.30pm

The goals of the ISCRAM 2012 Ph.D. Colloquium are three-fold:

• To develop and sustain a network of young scholars conducting high quality research in the area of Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management.

• To support the next generation of crisis management researchers by addressing issues relevant to the progression of a research career.

• To allow participants to discuss their research with leading specialists, scholars and peers in an international setting.

Accomplishment of these goals is supported through a one-day program that takes place immediately prior to the main ISCRAM conference. The colloquium is targeted at PhD students seeking careers as researchers in academic settings. Information systems for crisis response and management is an inherently multi-disciplinary domain and so PhD students from Computer Science, Information Systems, Organization Research, Management Science, Social Sciences and other related domains are eligible to apply. The colloquium will consist of discussions, presentations and shared activities centred on the following topics: the Ph.D. process, building and utilizing your research community, advancing your career, opportunities for publishing your work and funding your future research.

Up to twelve students will be accepted for the colloquium. Numbers are kept purposely small so that the support team can focus on quality interaction and discussion. ISCRAM is dedicated to supporting PhD students in their research in the area of crisis response and management. To show this continued commitment students will be joined at the colloquium by experienced faculty members from all over the world who will give presentations, facilitate discussions and give advice. Also a more recent researcher Bas Lijnse, winner of last year’s Best Student Paper, will also join us to offer support and help:

• Tung Bui, Professor, Information Technology Management, University of Hawaii, USA
• Julie Dugdale, University of Grenoble, France (ISCRAM Board Member, Doctoral Colloquium Chair)
• Starr Roxanne Hiltz, Distinguished Professor Emerita, Information Systems NJIT, USA
• Bas Lijnse, PhD student, Radboud University, The Netherlands (Winner of ISCRAM 2011 Mike Meleshkin Best Student Paper)
• Murray Turoff, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Information systems NJIT, USA (ISCRAM Board Member)
• Bartel van de Walle, Tilburg University, The Netherlands (ISCRAM President, Doctoral Colloquium Co-Chair)

Poster Sessions: Students accepted for the colloquium must also prepare a poster of their work. This will be presented at the PhD poster session at the end of the doctoral colloquium and during the main poster session during the ISCRAM conference itself. The format of the poster is free-style. These poster sessions will offer students the valuable opportunity to receive feedback and perspectives on their research from recognized experts in the field and other doctoral students.

Note that students who submit papers to the ISCRAM conference itself (and who are named as first author) will be eligible for the Mike Meleshkin Award for best PhD Student paper. Attendance at the PhD Colloquium is not a pre-requisite for eligibility for this award. If you intend to enter your paper please indicate this on the ConfTool paper submission system.

Who should Apply?

Doctoral students who, at the time of the colloquium, have not yet defended their PhD dissertation are eligible to apply.

Cost

Participation at the ISCRAM PhD colloquium is free, as is lunch and refreshments. However, participants in the Doctoral Colloquium must register for the main conference (a student rate is available).

How to Apply

To apply, send an email to phdcolloquium@iscram.org by 15th February 2012 with “doctoral colloquium application” in the subject line.

In the email include a brief note in the body of the message stating that you are applying to the colloquium, and attach a single file containing the following items: .

• An abstract of less than 250 words summarizing your proposed research and its potential significance to ISCRAM.
• A research statement of 750 to 1500 words describing the proposed thesis research in greater detail (e.g., methodology, any interim results, expected contributions). Note that the word limit does not include references but does include tables and figures.
• A personal statement of less than 250 words describing what you expect to contribute to and receive from the colloquium.
• A current curriculum vitae. List institutions attended and degrees received, including any degrees in progress. Also list publications, grants awarded, teaching and service activities, and any other information you feel is relevant.
• A digital photo. This will be used for the photo roster if the application is successful.

The file name should be your last name, and the file format should be Adobe PDF. The abstract and research statement must be formatted in accordance with the Word template for papers submission, which is downloadable here.

Important Dates

1 March 2012 Extended deadline. Applications due

22 April 2012 Ph.D. Colloquium

22-25 April 2012 ISCRAM main conference

Further details on the ISCRAM 2012 conference and the PhD Colloquium will be published on the conference website www.iscram2012.org.

Once the names of PhD Colloquium participants are finalized they will be contacted by email. A detailed schedule of the day and brief details of your research (in the form of an abstract) will be circulated to all participants. The aim of this is so that all participants can have a chance of identifying people with similar research interests before the colloquium starts.

Questions and Further Information

Any questions should be sent to Julie Dugdale (Doctoral Colloquium Chair) and Bartel van de Walle (Doctoral Colloquium Co-Chair) using phdcolloquium@iscram.org.

About ISCRAM

The ISCRAM Community is a worldwide community of researchers, scholars, teachers, students, practitioners and policy makers interested or actively involved in the subject of Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. At its annual international conference alternating between the US and Europe, the ISCRAM Community gathers to present and discuss the latest research and developments in this growing area during an interactive and stimulating 3 day program. The ISCRAM Community also organizes an International Summer School for PhD students and ISCRAM-CHINA, an annual conference for ISCRAM research in China. Full information on ISCRAM can be found at www.iscram.org.

	Tung Bui. Professor, Information Technology Management, University of Hawaii, USA. Visit website.
	Julie Dugdale. University of Grenoble, France (ISCRAM Board Member, Doctoral Colloquium Chair). Visit website.
	Starr Roxanne Hiltz. Distinguished Professor Emerita, Information Systems NJIT, USA. Visit website.
	Murray Turoff. Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Information systems NJIT, USA. Visit website.
	Bas Lijnse. PhD student, Radboud University, The Netherlands (Winner of ISCRAM 2011 Mike Meleshkin Best Student Paper). Visit website.
	Bartel van de Walle. Tilburg University, The Netherlands (ISCRAM President, Doctoral Colloquium Co-Chair Visit website.