Early Career Colloquium

Early Career Colloquium

The purpose of the Early Career Colloquium (ECC) is to provide a high-quality mentorship and networking opportunity for early career researchers who work in an iSchool, a similar department, or want to work in an iSchool (e.g., post-doctoral fellows, assistant professors). During the colloquium, early career scholars will share their research plans and aspirations with accomplished mentors that have expertise in various interdisciplinary areas represented within the iSchool community, as well as extensive experience in grant writing, promotion and/or tenure review, the peer-review process, teaching, and professional service. Early career scholars will engage in discourse with these mentors and their peers to improve their understanding of having a successful career in an iSchool.

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Overview

Application

Participation & Format

Timeline

Chairs

Overview

We plan to offer a total of three Early Career Colloquia, one for each of our three regions - Asia Pacific, Europe & Africa, and Americas. We feel this regional approach will help us better target the needs of our participants. While the Early Career Colloquia for the European & African, and Asia-Pacific region will be virtual, the American Early Career Colloquium will take place physically in Bloomington, Indiana (USA), there will not be a virtual session.

Note that participation in the American Early Career Colloquium is not restricted to applicants from the Americas only. We want to give all applicants the choice to pick the type of session that is most convenient for them, and welcome applications from across the globe to join us in Bloomington if you are able to travel. Please indicate your participation preference at the application.

During the iConference 2025, participation in the Early Career Colloquia will be restricted to those who have applied and been accepted; the colloquia will not be open to observers. Participants in the Early Career Colloquia will be selected based on their application, perceived relevance and potential contribution to research in the information field, and their anticipated contribution to the colloquia goals. The applications will be reviewed by the chairs and a jury of reviewers. Emphasis will be placed on the formation of groups of participants whose research careers are at a stage that can best benefit from the colloquia and who reflect individual excellence and motivation while at the same time contributing to the colloquia objectives and the aggregate diversity of the cohort.

Present, Publ & Award

Guidelines

Application

The Early Career Colloquia are open to scholars within eight years since completing their Ph.D. at the time of application submission. Early career scholars will be chosen through a competitive application process. Scholars with involvement in iSchool-related research are encouraged to apply.

Each application should contain the following within one PDF document in the following order and be submitted through the ConfTool submission system by Oct. 20, 2024. All materials must be in English.

A cover page containing:
- Name
- Institution
- Current position
- Personal webpage
- E-mail address
- Region for application/participation
A 1-page personal statement including:
- Research topic and/or specialization (e.g., research questions)
- Current career status
- Career objectives
- Reason for participating
- Research and career challenges to explore in the colloquium
Career-related questions
Current CV

Participation & Format

In order to promote extended interaction among conference attendees, those accepted for the Early Career Colloquia will be expected to meet the following obligations after they have been accepted:

Register for the iConference during the early-bird period, and participate throughout the entire iConference.

Applicants for the American Early Career Colloquium are expected to participate physically in Bloomington, Indiana (USA).

Applicants outside of the Americas are welcome to participate physically. Please indicate your interest in the application.

Each regional colloquium is projected to be a half-day event, with multiple small group discussions. In these colloquia, we will focus on collaborative inquiry and scholarly discourse with peers and a panel of experienced faculty serving as mentors.

Main activities include:

Discussion on crafting a research agenda, careers paths, and teaching strategies with mentors and peers.

Opportunities for group and individual consultation and networking between early career scholars and senior colleagues, exploring potentials for long-term mentorship from accomplished mentors in the early scholars’ field(s) of interest.

Meeting with conference Associate Chairs to discuss the writing and reviewing process in highly regarded journals and conferences.

Prior to the session, a few preparatory activities are required to enable us to use the time within the session as best as possible. More information will be forthcoming once selected.