IDC 2025 invites applications for the Doctoral Consortium (DC) track. The DC is a forum for PhD students to present their research and receive feedback from experienced academics in the IDC community. It is an opportunity to discuss difficulties with peers and experienced researchers and learn from other PhD students and how they deal with the challenges of a PhD project.
Who can apply?
All PhD students are welcome. The DC is more useful for PhD students who have worked at least 9 months on their project, and have at least 9 more months of work. In selecting between applications we shall examine the quality of the abstract, how useful the DC can be toward improving the PhD and how to ensure diversity in the IDC community and encourage participation from under-represented backgrounds.
How to apply?
- Applicants should submit an extended abstract (up to 4 pages, excluding references) describing: What is the aim of the research? Why is it important? What are the main related works and how does this work aim to go further? What are the main research questions the research tries to answer, what is the work done so far? Finally, it should describe the publications achieved (if any), and the planned next steps. The extended abstracts will be published in the ACM digital library.
- A brief cover letter describing briefly what you will contribute from your diverse perspective to the DC, and a reflection on important doubts or decisions about your PhD you would like to discuss during the DC.
- A brief recommendation letter from your main thesis advisor supporting your application
Important Dates (Midnight in AoE)
- April 1, 2025: Abstracts due
- April 25, 2025: Author notifications
- May 6, 2025: Publication-ready submissions due
- June 23-26, 2025: IDC Conference
Review and Selection
Submissions for review should not be anonymized. Submit your material via the Precision Conference System.
Those accepted to the Doctoral Consortium will automatically be selected as Student Volunteers and will receive some financial assistance to participate in the conference.
Doctoral Consortium Chairs
Panos Markopoulos is a Professor in the Department of Industrial Design of the Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. Previously, he has held research positions at Queen Mary, University of London, and Philips Research. He co-founded the Interaction Design and Children series of conferences and the International Journal of Child Computer Interaction. He serves as chief editor of the Behaviour and Information Technology journal. His research covers several topics in the field of IDC, such as evaluation methods for children’s interactive products, tangible and outdoor games for children, the role of fun in learning and the design of health technologies for children.
Suleman Shahid is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and the founding director of the LUMSx – Online Learning Center at LUMS. At LUMS, he directs the ‘Computer-Human Interaction for Inclusion, Wellbeing and Learning’ (CHISEL) Lab, and manages the university’s Usability Lab. Suleman’s primary area of interest is designing learning and healthcare technologies for/with the margins in the global south with an emphasis on using participatory and inclusive design to drive innovation. His research focuses on the intersection of design, technology, and inclusion with applications to EdTech & HealthTech: (1) assistive technologies (mobile apps and VR/AR systems) to enhance the quality of life of persons with disabilities (e.g. autism, dyslexia, visual impairment, dementia), and persons with mental health conditions (e.g. anxiety, depression), and (2) learning and playful technologies for children.
ACM Guidelines
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