IKDD Doctoral Dissertation in Data Science Award

About

IKDD (the professional chapter of SIGKDD in India) has launched an annual award in 2022, to recognize the best doctoral dissertation(s) in the broad areas of interest of the chapter including theory and applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, databases, data mining and other related areas. This dissertation award is now well-recognized by all premier CS and related departments in India with numerous strong submissions in the last three years.

Entitlements

• The IKDD Doctoral Dissertation Award winner and runners-up will be recognized at the annual CODS-COMAD conference, and their dissertations will be published on the IKDD Web site.
• The award winner will receive a plaque and a cheque for INR 1,00,000. The runners-up will receive a plaque and a cheque of INR 50,000.
• The winner and runners-up will also receive a free registration to attend the CODS conference and will be invited to receive the award in a special session at the conference.

Application Details

Last date for submission of application (including all upload documents): 18 August 2025

No emails for extension of deadline will be entertained.
Winners of the award will be informed via email directly by the IKDD by December 2025, and award will be presented at CODS 2025.

Required Documents before you fill in the above linked form:

• Nomination letter by thesis advisor. This letter must include:
  • The name, address, phone number and email address of the advisor.
  • The name, mailing address and email address of the candidate.
  • A one-page (200-300 words) nomination statement addressing why the nominee should receive the award. The nomination should explain the significance of the work in the context of Data Science. In particular, the nomination should focus on the significance of the work and not just repeat the contents of the abstract of the thesis.
  • A concise statement (maximum of 25 words) describing the key technical or professional accomplishment for which the nominee merits this award. This would serve as the suggested citation for the award, in case the nominee is selected. Note that the final wording for awardees will be at the discretion of the Awards Committee.
• An endorsement letter by the department head or a suitable substitute (in case of a conflict of interest).
• At least 3, and not more than 5, supporting letters from experts in the field who can provide additional insights or evidence of the dissertation’s impact. The nominator/advisor may not write a letter of support. Each letter should include the name, address, and telephone number of the supporter.
• One copy of the thesis in English in electronic (PDF) format.
• A copy of the thesis review comments given by the external examiners.
• A list of publications in conferences and journals based on the work reported in the dissertation, along with their citations (if any). The nomination should also include all the reviews received during the publication process.
• A copyright transfer form signed by the appropriate authority in the candidate’s parent institute giving permission for the dissertation to appear on ikdd.acm.org website, if the dissertation is selected as an award recipient.

Eligibility Guidelines:

• PhD candidates who are currently enrolled in IISc. De-registered students are not allowed to apply.
• The nominated candidate should have successfully defended his/her thesis between August 31, 2024 and August 31, 2025.
• Students doing exceptional and innovative research in broad areas of Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Mining, Knowledge Discovery and applications of Data-driven techniques.
• Queries on the application process should be sent by email to development.odaa@iisc.ac.in.