CALL FOR PAPERS

44th Annual IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS 2003)
http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/FOCS03

Cambridge, MA
October 11-14, 2003

The 44th Annual Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS 2003), sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Mathematical Foundations of Computing (TCMF), will be held in Cambridge, MA, on October 11-14, 2003. Papers presenting original research on foundational aspects of computer science are sought. Typical but not exclusive topics of interest include: algorithms and data structures, computational complexity, cryptography, computational geometry, algorithmic graph theory and combinatorics, parallel and distributed computing, machine learning, applications of logic, algorithmic algebra and coding theory, theoretical aspects of databases, information retrieval, networks, computational biology, robotics, and quantum computing. More information on the conference is available on the FOCS 2003 web site: http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/FOCS03.

Important Dates:

Abstract format: Authors should submit an extended abstract (not a full paper). The submission should contain a scholarly exposition of ideas, techniques, and results, including motivation and a clear comparison with related work. The length should not exceed ten (10) letter-sized pages (not including the bibliography and figures) using 11-point or larger font, with ample spacing and margins all around. More details may be given in an appendix, but any material beyond the 10-page limit may be ignored at the discretion of the Program Committee. Abstracts deviating significantly from these guidelines risk rejection without consideration of their merits.

Abstract submission: Authors are strongly encouraged to submit their extended abstracts electronically. A detailed description of the electronic submission process is available at http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/FOCS03/elsub.html. Authors who are unable to submit electronically must send seventeen (17) printed copies (double-sided preferred) of an extended abstract, together with a cover letter, to:

Madhu Sudan
FOCS 2003 Program Chair
MIT, Laboratory for Computer Science
200 Technology Square, NE43-366
Cambridge, MA 02143
USA
To facilitate notification, authors submitting printed copies should also send an e-mail, to focs03-pc-chair@theory.lcs.mit.edu, indicating that they are submitting in this manner. The abstract, in either form, MUST be received by 18:59 EDT April 7, 2003 or postmarked by March 28, 2003. Late submissions will be rejected. Simultaneous submission of the same (or essentially the same) abstract to FOCS and to another conference with published proceedings is not allowed.

Notification: Authors will be sent notification of acceptance or rejection by e-mail on or before June 25, 2003. A final copy of each accepted paper is required by July 24, 2003. Again this is a firm deadline. An author of each accepted paper must attend the symposium and present the paper, or make alternative arrangements to have it presented.

Machtey award: This prize will be given to the best paper written solely by one or more students. An abstract is eligible if all authors are full-time students at the time of submission. This should be indicated through the electronic submission process or by email to the program chair. The program committee may decline to make the award, or may split it among several papers.

Program Committee:
 

Manindra Agrawal  IIT, Kanpur
Paul Beame U. Washington
Ran Canetti IBM T.J. Watson
Chandra Chekuri Lucent Bell Labs
Erik Demaine MIT
Monika Henzinger Google
Valentine Kabanets  UCSD
Anna Karlin  U. Washington
Jon Kleinberg Cornell
Eyal Kushilevitz Technion
Daniele Micciancio UCSD
Michael Mitzenmacher Harvard
Dana Randall Georgia Tech.
Dana Ron Tel Aviv
Madhu Sudan (PC Chair)  MIT
John Watrous U. Calgary
Avi Wigderson IAS & Hebrew U.

Information about local arrangements can be obtained from the Local Arrangements Chair:

Prof. Michael Mitzenmacher
Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Harvard University
33 Oxford St.,
Cambridge, MA 02138

michaelm@eecs.harvard.edu