The 2026 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability and Transparency (FAccT) invites applicants for the FAccT Doctoral Colloquium (DC).
The Doctoral Colloquium is a unique opportunity to engage in substantive interaction with experienced researchers and peers regarding dissertation research and career objectives. The Doctoral Colloquium will be held on [date]. It will include mentoring tables and panels from senior researchers on topics related to their work, journeys, and navigating graduate school, as well as other collaboration enhancing activities.
The colloquium is open to any graduate students pursuing a terminal degree (PhD, JD, MFA, etc.) doing research on fairness, accountability and/or transparency (or related topics) in relation to socio-technical systems. We are looking for students in computer science, philosophy, sociology, law, psychology, or any of the broad range of subjects contributing to this area.
In short, if you are a graduate student and interested in FAccT’s scope, the Doctoral Colloquium is for you!
All participants must attend in person. Note that the conference will have a pool of need-based travel scholarship funds, and (all other things being equal) students accepted to the DC will be prioritized for funding.
DC chairs will receive applications and curate a diverse pool of participants. Applicants are asked to ensure their application (1) provides clear evidence of their engagement with FAccT-related topics, and (2) communicates clearly the value of the DC to their research work and lived experiences as PhD students.
Applications should be submitted through the application form.
The application form asks for your name, affiliation, and a few questions aimed to help us 1) make sure the group is diverse in terms of areas and topics, 2) bring together a mix of people at different stages in their PhD programs, and 3) select a group of people for whom the DC will make a difference.
Please note that travel support (i.e., financial aid) will be a separate form, administered separately. Dates for that will be added when available.
Application deadline: by Wednesday, February 24th, 2026 (Anywhere on Earth, AoE)
Notifications:Wednesday, March 23rd, 2026.
Accepted candidates who have submitted a paper to the research track may withdraw their DC application after final paper notifications are sent, but are asked to please do so shortly after those notifications are sent (max. 2-3 days), so their slot can be assigned to a student in the waiting list.
Please contact dc-chairs@facctconference.org for any questions.