Welcome to the “1st Annual Symposium and Conference on Information Infrastructures (ascii) Pre-Conference Workshop on PhD Soft Skills".

ascii 2026 will provide PhD students from the Chair of Information Infrastructures the unique opportunity to work on a topic of their choice.

Submission Guidelines

Task 1: Prepare an abstract about a NEW research project (max 300 words) + 2-3 recommended readings | Deadline: April 30th, 2026

To have a topic to further build upon with a group, as a first step we ask that you individually develop and submit a research project abstract of a topic you would like to work on. You will have five "tracks" to choose from when submitting your paper. Please think about which track your abstract would fit in best:

• Digital Transformation

• AI Anthropomorphism

• Responsible AI (PT, MSK) • User Behavior and Engagement

• Future of Work

IMPORTANT: The project should be a new research idea that has not passed the conceptualization stage, not something you have already gathered data for. We encourage you to submit abstracts related to the topic of your dissertation.

Think about: Have you had a research concept in mind but have not had the time to explore it? Or maybe you recently came across an article that sparked an exciting direction for future research? Choose a project of your liking and summarize it in a brief abstract.

To help your future group members and track chairs understand and contextualize your idea, include 2-3 recommended readings that provide relevant background.

Post-Submission: Groups will be formed based on topic similarity. Track chairs will be assigned as central topic related contact person throughout the doctoral seminar. Decisions will be announced by May 15th, 2026.

Task 2: Choose one topic from your group and develop a 2 page extended abstract together | Deadline: June 30th, 2026

After groups have been announced by, track chairs may provide some insight into which topic they find the most promising. Feel free to discuss in your groups as well with the track chairs which topic you would like to pursue during the doctoral seminar.

Next, please collectively write one extended abstract stating at least the following: your practice problem, research problem, research question(s), objectives, and anticipated contributions.

Please note: It is not necessary to have a fully developed research approach ready. As part of the seminar you will be able to learn and discuss different approaches and methods and then decide which may suit your project best.

Committees

Program Committee

• Niclas
• Manuel
• Simon
• Benjamin
• Guest Speaker

Organizing committee

• Ali Sunyaev
• Florian Leiser
• Philipp A Toussaint

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to Florian or Philipp