IEEE BigData

2026 IEEE International Conference on Big Data

Call for Ph.D. Forum

The 2026 IEEE International Conference on Big Data invites submissions to the IEEE BigData 2026 Ph.D. Forum. The Ph.D. Forum provides an excellent opportunity for doctoral students to present their ongoing dissertation research, receive constructive feedback from senior researchers and peers, build professional networks, and explore future research and career opportunities in the broad field of big data.

The forum welcomes Ph.D. students at different stages of their doctoral studies, especially those who have identified a research direction and can benefit from feedback on their research problems, methodologies, preliminary results, dissertation plans, and future work. The program is expected to include student oral presentations, poster presentations, mentoring opportunities, and a panel discussion featuring researchers from academia, industry, and government.

Scope and Topics of Interest

Submissions are invited on all topics relevant to big data research, development, and applications, including but not limited to:

  • Big data science, foundations, theory, and computational models
  • Big data infrastructure, systems, platforms, and scalable computing
  • Big data management, data integration, data quality, and governance
  • Big data search, mining, learning, and analytics
  • Machine learning, artificial intelligence, and foundation models for big data
  • Data ecosystems, privacy, security, fairness, accountability, transparency, and trust
  • Big data benchmarks, datasets, evaluation, and responsible data development
  • Big data applications in science, engineering, medicine, healthcare, finance, business, social good, smart cities, cybersecurity, education, and other domains
  • Interdisciplinary and emerging topics related to big data

Eligibility

The Ph.D. Forum is open to currently enrolled Ph.D. students conducting research related to big data or closely related areas. The submitting Ph.D. student must be the primary author of the submission. Co-authors may include advisors, collaborators, or other students, but the submission should clearly identify the student's own contributions.

Each Ph.D. student may submit multiple papers to the Ph.D. Forum.

Submission Requirements

Applicants should submit a single PDF file containing the following materials:

1. Research Paper or Extended Abstract

Submissions should present ongoing dissertation research, preliminary findings, research challenges, proposed methods, evaluation plans, or future directions.

The paper should include:

  • The research problem and motivation
  • Related work and the gap being addressed
  • The proposed approach or methodology
  • Preliminary results, if available
  • Expected contributions to big data research or applications
  • Planned evaluation and future research directions
  • Specific questions or feedback the student hopes to receive from the forum

Format:

  • Maximum 2 pages for the main content
  • An optional third page for references only
  • IEEE two-column conference proceedings format
  • Submissions should not be anonymized and should include author names and affiliations
  • The Ph.D. student should be listed as the primary author

2. Curriculum Vitae

Applicants should include a CV of no more than 1 page, summarizing education, research interests, publications, presentations, internships, teaching experience, service, open-source contributions, or other relevant experience.

3. Personal Statement

Applicants should include a personal statement of no more than 1 page. The statement should briefly describe:

  • The student's current stage in the Ph.D. program
  • The student's dissertation direction and research goals
  • What the student hopes to gain from participating in the Ph.D. Forum
  • The type of feedback or mentoring that would be most useful
  • Career interests after graduation, if known

Review and Selection

Submissions will be reviewed by the Ph.D. Forum Program Committee. Selection will be based on the quality, clarity, relevance, originality, and potential impact of the research, as well as the applicant's potential to benefit from participation in the forum.

Accepted submissions will be invited for oral presentation at the Ph.D. Forum. All accepted students are expected to attend the forum in person.

Important Dates

  • Submission deadline: September 30, 2026
  • Notification of acceptance: October 1, 2026
  • Camera-ready deadline: November 1, 2026
  • Ph.D. Forum date: TBD

All deadlines are 11:59 PM Anywhere on Earth (AOE).

Submission Site

Submissions should be made through the IEEE BigData 2026 submission system:

Submission link: https://wi-lab.com/cyberchair/2026/bigdata26/scripts/ws_submit.php?subarea=SP

Please select the Ph.D. Forum track when submitting.

Attendance Requirement

At least one author of each accepted submission, preferably the Ph.D. student applicant, must register for IEEE BigData 2026 and present the work in person. Remote presentations are not expected to be supported.