Auto-UI Global Fellowships
Global Perspectives and PhD fellowships
What is an Auto-UI Global Fellowship?
An Auto-UI Global Fellowship is awarded to graduate students (i.e., PhD students) from target continents that have not yet attended the Auto-UI conference, but that would benefit from this for their research and career. They are tomorrow’s leaders.
Recipients of the award get the following:
- Free registration to the conference;
- A stipend of $500 towards travel and accommodation costs;
- A certificate of the award;
- An opportunity to present their research as a work-in-progress poster during the conference;
- The opportunity to meet senior members of the Auto-UI community, such as chairs of this year’s conference;
- The option to “shadow” our student volunteers, so as to interact with other graduate students and to get a unique look inside the organization of Auto-UI. (note: this is not required, but highly encouraged);
- Acknowledgement of the award before and at the conference.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible, you need to meet the following requirements:
- You are a PhD student that is enrolled for a graduate study program (or PhD program) in one of the following continents at the time of the application deadline:
- Asia
- Africa
- Oceania
- South-America
How to apply (deadline: 7 July 2019)
To apply, the following information needs to be submitted by e-mail to chair@auto-ui.org.
by 7 July 2019 end of day, anywhere on earth time by the student:
- A cover letter in which the applicant details why they should be awarded a grant, given their research focus, career trajectory, and the eligibility criteria. (max 2 pages)
- A one to two page summary of the research to date, that would be presented as a Work-in-Progress poster at the conference (max 2 pages).
- A concise version of your curriculum vitae (max 2 pages).
- An explicit statement in which the student confirms that if they are awarded the fellowship, that they will: (a) Attend the conference, and (b) present a poster on their research as part of the work-in-progress track, and (c) become a SIGCHI member before the conference (max 1 page).
- A letter of nomination from your primary dissertation/PhD advisor, that addresses (a) your potential as a future leader in the field and (b) the value that taking part in Auto-UI as a Auto-UI Global Fellow would have for your career (max 1 page).
The information should be submitted by e-mail as a single PDF file.
Selection committee
The decisions on awarding Auto-UI Global Fellowships are made in a curated form. This entails that a committee will select and announce the winners. However, no further correspondence on why specific candidates were or were not chosen will not be provided.
In our decision we balance multiple factors including but not limited to a diversity of geographic location, gender, research topics and methodological approach. Therefore, decisions also depend on the pool of candidates and limit our ability to reply to individuals.
The selection committee will be formed by members from this year’s general chairs, technical program chairs, diversity and inclusion committee and steering committee. Specifically:
Dr. Chris Janssen, Utrecht University (chair of committee)
Dr. Shan Bao, University of Michigan-Dearborn
Dr. Linda Boyle, University of Washington
Dr. Lewis Chuang, LMU Munich
Dr. Stella Donker, Utrecht University
Dr. Myounghoon "Philart" Jeon, Virginia Tech
Dr. Wendy Ju, Cornell Tech
Dr. Andrew Kun, University of New Hampshire
Dr. Ronald Schroeter, Queensland University of Technology
Sponsors wanted!
Help us to create opportunities for tomorrow’s leaders! We would like to provide even more students with the opportunity to take part in this fellowship. If you are part of a company or community that would like to contribute funding, please get in touch with Dr. Chris Janssen, via chair@auto-ui.org.
Frequently asked Questions
Questions on Eligibility
No, these fellowships are intended for members that are new to the Auto-UI conference.
I have attended another ACM or SIGCHI conference in the past, or another conference on an automotive topic than Auto-UI. Am I eligible?
Yes, you are, as long as you have not attended Auto-UI in the past.
I have the nationality of a country that is part of the targeted continents. However, I currently pursue my PhD studies in another country. Am I eligible?
This depends. You can only apply if you are formally enrolled for graduate studies (PhD studies) in one of the targeted continents.
For example: Student A is born in China, but currently pursues a PhD degree in the United States. She is not eligible for the global fellowship, as the country where she is enrolled for studies is not part of a targeted continent. Student B is born in Japan, but currently pursues a PhD degree in India. She is eligible for the global fellowship, as India is part of one of the targeted continents (Asia).
Yes, you meet the enrollment criteria.
No, these fellowships are only eligible for those enrolled in a PhD program.
No, these fellowships are only eligible for those enrolled in a PhD program at the time of the application deadline.
Yes, you can apply. You need to become a SIGCHI member before the conference itself. So, you can become this after the award decision has been made.
Questions on application requirements and characteristics
The number of fellowships depends on whether we are able to acquire more funds. At this moment we have funding for 4 fellowships.
Will there be a similar fellowship next year?
We have only acquired funding for one year (Auto-UI 2019 conference), and cannot make any statements about future years.
The fellowship does not fully cover my flight and travel, are there other funds?
We do not have funds beyond what we provide. Our intention is that the combination of our stipend and free registration can make a significant difference for students in deciding whether to attend or not. Auto-UI and ACM SIGCHI do not take responsibility for covering further funds.
Will I receive personal feedback on my fellowship decision?
No, applicants only receive a yes/no decision, without further motivation. The decisions on awarding Auto-UI Global Fellowships are made in a curated form. This entails that a committee will select and announce the winners. However, no further correspondence on why specific candidates were or were not chosen will not be provided. In our decision we balance multiple factors including but not limited to a diversity of geographic location, gender, research topics and methodological approach. Therefore, decisions also depend on the pool of candidates and limit our ability to reply to individuals.
What does shadowing a student volunteer entail?
Student volunteers help the conference run smoothly. For example, they hand out badges to participants at registration and ensure that the conference has the right, welcoming look and feel that we want. Shadowing means that you will be provided with an opportunity to work with other student volunteers, without having full responsibilities for conference organization that a student volunteer has. That is, the main student volunteer will get tasks assigned, and you join them. Through this process, you benefit from getting to know some of our student volunteers well (who are your peers in the field) and you can get a unique insight into how the conference is ran and the senior people involved. We believe both are interesting features.
What topics fulfill the criterion “a topic that is relevant to the Auto-UI community”?
We do not have a predefined list of what is or is not relevant. However, you can find a list of topics that are often represented at the conference here: https://www.auto-ui.org/19/authors/authors/#goto-topics .
What does it mean that a poster needs to be presented in the work-in-progress track?
During the conference, there is a track where researchers present ongoing work as a poster. This is the work-in-progress track. The conference organizers will make sure that there will also be space for you to present a poster during a session from this track. Your poster should meet the same requirements as those of a work-in-progress track poster. (which will be announced here: https://www.auto-ui.org/19/authors/work-in-progress/ )
Can I take part in other parts of the conference, such as the keynote session, papers session, and demos?
Yes, we expect the global fellows to actively take part in the conference in a way that is sensible for them. We expect you to attend the majority of presentations, and to engage with posters and demos, and to meet people during the conference. However, we won’t keep track of what talks you attended :-)
Do I need to book my own travel and accommodation?
Yes, you need to do this yourself.
How will I receive my stipend?
We are currently arranging this with ACM SIGCHI. We cannot guarantee that you will have received your stipend before you make costs associated with the conference.