As from the CHNT conference 2017 I will be following in the footsteps of my predecessor Benjamin Stangl and be the new representative of young researchers in the scientific committee, chairing the yearly session for Master and PhD theses. It is my great pleasure to chair this session from now on, as it was also the place for my debut at CHNT in 2015 when I presented my own Master thesis. Since then I have attended the conference every year and presented different projects I have been working on.
© Martina POLIG
My main focus in the scientific committee will be the continuation of the effort the conference has been putting in supporting and encouraging young researchers who stand at the beginning of their career. The main instrument in this work has been and is continuing to be the Master and PhD theses session, which I consider an important positive element within the conference. In fact it is not only giving young researchers the opportunity to gain experience, find connections and confront themselves with other people’s work, it is also contributing to the diversity of the conference, creating a space for innovative new ideas that otherwise might be overlooked.
© Martina POLIG
This results usually in a quite heterogeneous session topic-wise and thus requires at least a basic understanding of a variety of methods and approaches. I am confident that through my training and experience I will be well prepared and equipped to fulfill the role of the chair for this the session.
My goal is to make the session I will be responsible for more known among the post-graduates and doctoral students at the different universities in Europe. I have noticed that the majority of the speakers attending this session come from universities from German speaking countries and with another big percentage from Italian or English universities. I would love to see more speakers from other countries as well and in the coming years I will try to attract a more international spectrum of brilliant young minds presenting their work.