ICLP DC 2019 - 15th Doctoral Consortium (DC) on Logic Programming

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The 15th Doctoral Consortium (DC) on Logic Programming provides students with the opportunity to present and discuss their research directions, and to obtain feedback from both peers and experts in the field. 

It will take place during the 35th International Conference on Logic Programming (ICLP) https://www.cs.nmsu.edu/ALP/iclp2019/ (September 20-25, 2019, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA). 

Accepted participants will receive partial financial support to attend the event and the main conference. The best paper from the DC will be given the opportunity to make a presentation in a session of the main ICLP conference. 

Important Dates 

• Paper submission (Updated date): June 25, 2019
• Notification: July 15, 2019
• Camera-ready copy: July 31, 2019
• DC presentations: Sunday, September 22, 2019 

However, DC students are highly recommended to attend the Autumn School on Logic Programming on: Friday and Saturday, September 20-21, 2019 https://sites.google.com/cs.stonybrook.edu/iclp2019dc/autumn-school-on-logic-programming

Audience

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 interested in 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, 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 offers participants a convenient, more informal way to interact with established researchers and fellow students, through presentations, question-answer sessions, panel discussions, and invited presentations. The Doctoral Consortium will also 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.

Discussants

Renowned experts and researchers in the fields of logic and constraint programming will join in evaluating submissions and will participate in the DC, providing valuable feedback to DC participants. 

Goals

• 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.
• 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.

Submission Details

The DC is designed for students currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program, however Master's students who are actively involved in research (please see the list of topics below) can also participate in the DC program.

Applicants are expected to conduct research in areas related to logic and constraint programming.

Topics included, but not limited to:

• Foundations: Semantics, Formalisms, Nonmonotonic reasoning, Knowledge representation.
• Languages: Concurrency, Objects, Coordination, Mobility, Higher Order, Types, Modes, Assertions, Modules, Meta-programming, Logic-based domain-specific languages, Programming Techniques.
• Declarative programming: Declarative program development, Analysis, Type and mode inference, Partial evaluation, Abstract interpretation, Transformation, Validation, Verification, Debugging, Profiling, Testing, Execution visualization.
• Implementation: Virtual machines, Compilation, Memory management, Parallel/distributed execution, Constraint handling rules, Tabling, Foreign interfaces, User interfaces.
• Related Paradigms and Synergies: Inductive and Co-inductive Logic Programming, Constraint Logic Programming, Answer Set Programming, Interaction with SAT, SMT and CSP solvers, Logic programming techniques for type inference and theorem proving, Argumentation, Probabilistic Logic Programming, Relations to object-oriented and Functional programming.
• Applications: Databases, Big Data, Data integration and federation, Software engineering, Natural language processing, Web and Semantic Web, Agents, Artificial intelligence, Computational life sciences, Education, Cybersecurity, and Robotics.

Submissions of the research summary must be made in OpenAccess Series in Informatics (OASIcs) format (template available here) and submitted via EasyChair. Accepted DC papers will be published as technical communications (TCs) by Dagstuhl Publishing in the OpenAccess Series in Informatics (OASIcs). All papers must be written in English and should be between 5 and 10 pages. For all accepted DC papers, the student is required to attend the DC program and give a presentation of 20 minutes followed by discussions. A program committee consisting of experts in various areas related to logic and constraint programming reviews the submissions. Papers are reviewed by at least two, and usually three, referees.

The submission package should consist of the research summary in the OASIcs format mentioned above and the additional documents mentioned below in the financial support section - all students must submit these documents even if they don't apply for financial aid (a short vita or cover letter of the applicant, a letter of recommendation from applicant's faculty advisor, and one paragraph statement outlining how the school will benefit the applicant). All material is to be submitted electronically, in PDF format on the Easychair system.

Easychair link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=iclp2019 (Doctoral Consortium track)

Research summary (make sure to include your complete name, address, and affiliation):

The body of your 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 the following sections:

• 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 

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.

Financial Support

Students are invited to submit to the Doctoral Consortium (within the submission deadline) to receive financial assistance. A number of scholarships for students that cover local expenses for the duration of the DC and school are available. To apply for these scholarships, students should submit the following information as part of their DC application:

• A short vita or cover letter of the applicant, containing:
• 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, and email address
• URL of your web page (if any)
• One paragraph statement outlining how the school will benefit the applicant.
• A letter of recommendation from applicant's graduate or thesis advisor. Please invite your adviser(s) to give an indication of the current status of your research and of the expected date of thesis submission. In addition, your adviser(s) should briefly describe what she/he hopes you to gain from participation in the DC. The letter from the advisor should also certify that the applicant is a full-time student.

There are other sponsorship opportunities, but they are individual:

ACM-W scholarship program: any (female) student willing to participate to ICLP can submit their application on the site: https://women.acm.org/scholarships/ 

Registration

Registration is part of the ICLP 2019 registration: https://www.cs.nmsu.edu/ALP/iclp2019/ 

Program co-chairs:

Daniela Inclezan, Miami University

Paul Fodor, Stony Brook University

Program Committee

Carmine Dodaro, University of Genova & DIBRIS, Italy

Cristina Feier, University of Bremen, Germany

Ekaterina Komendantskaya, Heriot-Watt University, UK

Fabio Fioravanti, University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy

Francesco Ricca, Department of Mathematics University of Calabria, Italy

Frank Valencia, LIX, Ecole Polytechnique, France

Jorge Fandino, University of Corunna, Spain

Jose F. Morales, IMDEA Software Research Institute, Spain

Marco Maratea, University of Genova & DIBRIS, Italy

Martin Gebser, Aalto University, Finland

Michael Gelfond, Texas Tech University, USA