PhD Colloquium

Submission

The PhD Colloquium and Poster Session at the ACM SIGSIM PADS conference is an exciting opportunity for PhD students to present their work to the research community!

Following PADS tradition, we focus on students. Again this year, we will be accepting extended-abstract submissions of doctoral work in simulation and modeling research areas. Abstracts accepted to the colloquium will be published in the conference proceedings, giving students a citable publication. We strongly encourage any researchers in the simulation areas to recommend their students apply as this provides them with many opportunities:

• Experience with presenting their own research with colleagues in a conference setting
• A platform for receiving feedback and thoughts on their work
• A citable document to get their ideas and preliminary research out to the community
• Free one-year student membership to ACM SIGSIM,
• A limited number of $1,000 travel grants to colloquium participants
• The possibility to win a certificate and cash prize for the best abstract/presentation

Students with accepted submissions will be expected to present their work at the PhD Colloquium (in a short talk and as a poster), discussing their current and future work during the conference. Abstract submissions related to work submitted to the regular track (or published elsewhere) are allowed in the colloquium, but we ask that the content be different enough to act as a standalone work, for example, by providing a novel perspective or a more accessible summary, and the original work is cited correctly. We also encourage students to embark on writing their first single-author abstracts! (Of course, multiple authors are very welcome.)

Submission Format

The extended abstracts must be in double-column format, up to two pages in length (including references), with the same LaTex template as for regular papers. To simplify the process, we provide a starter LaTeX project for the students.

Important Notes

• Please do not modify the font sizes, line spacing, or margin sizes from the template
• Your final camera-ready submission should also include the copyright information received from the eRights process.

Important Dates

PhD Colloquium Abstract: April 3rd, 2026

PhD Colloquium Notification: April 17th, 2026

Camera Ready: April 24th, 2026

For more information, see important dates.

Submission Instructions

The submission will be via EasyChair. A link will be provided soon.

For questions, please contact the PhD Colloquium Co-Chairs: Steffen Straßburger steffen.strassburger@tu-ilmenau.de and Justin Kreikemeyer justin.kreikemeyer@uni-rostock.de.

Student Travel Grant

Application Deadline: April 30th, 2026

To support the professional development of Ph.D. students working in the field of modeling and simulation, SIGSIM and NSF offer travel support for students to attend the ACM SIGSIM-PADS.

Individual awards of up to $1,000 will be made. These awards can be used for travel, lodging, and registration expenses. Awardees will need to submit receipts for reimbursement after attending the conference.

Requirements

1. The applicant must be enrolled in a Ph.D. program. The grant is open to all Ph.D. Students participating in the conference (in the colloquium or regular tracks). However, Master’s students are also eligible and encouraged to apply.
2. The student’s research must directly relate to advancing the art of simulation and modeling.
3. The applicant must be a current SIGSIM member (this is required for most of the grants; there is a very limited number of grants available without this requirement, so we highly recommend signing up for a membership)
4. Supported students may be asked to offer up to four hours of volunteering to the conference organizers and SIGSIM.

If you do not meet all of the listed requirements, you are still encouraged to apply. Exceptions can be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Application Materials

Applicants should submit the following:

1. A statement (up to 500 words) describing how participation in ACM SIGSIM-PADS will benefit their professional development, including details on how the grant will be spent.
2. A description of their research objectives in the field of modeling and simulation and how this research will advance the field.
3. The student’s current curriculum vitae.
4. A support letter from an individual familiar with their simulation-related research.
5. An academic transcript of the student’s graduate work. This transcript should show that the student is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program.

The application materials should be submitted within a single zip file via the following Form.

For any questions, please contact Dr. Yanfeng Qu at yanfengqu9@gmail.com.