EuroVIS 2026 - PhD Education Track » You, Me and the VIS PhD
A focus on PhD study, skills and supervision for students and staff involved in PhD Education to connect, share best practice and develop ideas for the future ... with an update on a major UK initiative in PhD training.
Running from 2pm-3:30 and 4pm-5:30 in F5 on Tuesday 9th June - Plan follows 👇.
Aims
This focused activity on PhD Education in Data Visualization aims to ...
share experiences of and approaches to PhD education in ways that support current PhD students, encourage future PhD students and inspire those supervising PhDs and coordinating PhD programmes to develop networks, approaches and discourse that support this activity.
We do so through ...
A two-session track where we share and develop ideas and experiences about PhD training, discuss investment in data visualization research training in the UK, and aim to help our PhD students succeed in their studies and our PhD supervisors support them in doing so.
We plan activities that will connect and be useful for all three groups :
- prospective PhD students
- current PhD students
- academics (supervisors - current and future!).
Plan
| When? | What? | Lead? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session 01 | Introductions, Updates & Brainstorming | ||
| 14:00 | Introductions | CT | graphical introductions in a visual fast-forward |
| 14:30 | Updates | JD | a focus on the DIVERSE-CDT PhD initiative 14:30ish - Talk 14:45ish - Questions |
| 15:00 | Brainstorming & Connecting |
CT | group work to connect, discuss experiences & develop questions and priorities |
| Session 02 | Panel & Priorities | ||
| 16:00 | Panel 7x7 | JD | PhD perspectives and provocations in a 7x7 shootout! |
| 16:49 🤔 |
Open Discussion | JD | Questions & discussion around PhD perspectives |
| 17:15 | Priorities | CT | collective work to identify PhD initiatives |
Session 01 - Introductions, Updates & Brainstorming
coordinated by Cagatay Turkay
Meet the community and discuss and develop priorities for discourse around PhD education as well as hearing about DIVERSE-CDT
An activity in which PhD students introduce themselves, the EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre for Diversity in Data Visualization reports on progress and plans, and we collectively contribute, prioritise and answer questions about planning, doing, supporting and supervising PhDs.
- Introductions - current and prospective PhD students say hello (graphically)
- Updates - what's going on at DIVERSE-CDT
- Brainstorming - group work to connect, discuss and develop questions and priorities for the panel
1.1 Introductions from PhD students
We invite current or prospective PhD students, at any stage in their studies or planning, to introduce themselves.
The submission is a single visual that tells us something about you and your PhD. This can be anything, submitted in advance, but might involve:
- your approach to visualization / design
- something important to your PhD
- why you love visualization
- your favourite / least favourite data vis
- something about you (or your data, or your cat)
- the future of visualization
- something you care about
You can request a 1, 3 or 5 minute presentation during the submission and we do our best to fit that in during the day!
Deadline 01 May 2026 (Anywhere on Earth)
New Deadline 31 May 2026 (Anywhere on Earth)
Submit your visual (PDF) and details through this Google Form.
1.2 Updates
Find out about DIVERSE-CDT the UK's new Doctoral Training Centre for Diversity in Data Visualization, hosted at the University of Warwick and City St George's, University of London.
This innovative PhD program in Data Visualization is delivering research training for 60 PhD students in the UK over the next decade.
Come and hear the latest, and ask questions about, and get involved in this significant initiative in PhD education.
1.3 Brainstorming
Working in small groups those undertaking, and having completed PhDs, participate in loosely structured discussion to :
- get to know each other
- discuss PhD experiences
- develop questions and priorities for The Panel
Session 02 - The Panel - Diversity & Priority
coordinated by Jason Dykes
A diverse panel, in which PhD experiences are introduced and discussed and priorities for supporting, enhancing and extending PhD education are identified.
Hear from and connect with a diverse panel of guest participants who have acquired PhDs. Learn from their experiences of study and supervision and grill them with questions as we discuss and identify priorities for improving and widening PhD study.
- Panel Discussion
- Open Discussion
2.1 Panel Discussion
A lively panel discussion in which experiences of supervision are introduced and discussed, and open questions are addressed in a structured session with the old hands that will include plenty of audience participation!
The panel is packed with excellent communicators, with complimentary experience, who are diverse in terms of academic discipline, perspective and geography.
| Fateme Rajabiyazdi | 2018 | University of Calgary | » | University of Calgary |
| Maria Jesus Lobo Gunther | 2017 | Université Paris Saclay | » | Université Gustave Eiffel & IGN |
| Michael Sedlmair | 2010 | University of Munich (with BMW) |
» | University of Stuttgart |
| Marjahan Begum | 2009 | University of Nottingham | » | University of Nottingham & City St George's |
| Alark Joshi | 2007 | University of Maryland Baltimore County |
» | University of San Fransisco |
| Bettina Speckmann | 2001 | University of British Columbia | » | TU Eindhoven |
| and perhaps ... | ||||
| Jason Dykes | 1999 | University of Leicester | » | City St George’s, University of London |
We will be kicking off by asking each participant to answer a set of 7 questions in 7 minutes - a 7x7 Shootout!.
Here they are ...
... and then it will be down to participants to seek further guidance, challenge viewpoints and engage in informative and inspiring academic debate.
🙂
2.2 Open Discussion
Questions from the brainstorming exercise and discussion around these.
2.3 Priorities & Initiatives
We seek to uncover and prioritise activities and initiatives that can improve and extend PhD education for all parties with The Panel.
Our hope is that people to leave the room …
- knowing somebody new - more connected
- knowing that there is something they can do to improve PhD Education
(for themselves or more widely) - more informed- perhaps committing to an action: applying a solution to improve PhD Education - inspired & committed
Resources
Recommended Books & Papers
We have an open Zotero Library that we aim to fill with links to recommended books and papers.
Panel Questions
Ask, check and upvote question for the panel on this Poll Everywhere.
WhiteBoard
We will be logging and developing ideas on a Miro Board.
DIVERSE-CDT
Jason mentioned a couple of links and flashed up a few QR codes during his talk - you can find them all here:
| When? | What? | Lead? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIVERSE-CDT Doctoral Researchers |
Information about the 2025 PhD students - do try to find them in Nottingham. | ||
| What is a Research Lens? | Lens thinking from the DIVERSE-CDT delivery team | ||
| DIVERSE-CDT Leadership |
Who's who on the leadership team | ||
| PTRSA Paper | The co-authored paper in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in which we used deep (live) links to Observable notebooks to synthesize and deliver evidence from parallel projects | ||
| Research Scientist | We are recruiting! This link tells you more about the kind of person we are looking for and has further links to the job advert and application details |
||
| PVSK | Bob Laramee's PhD in Visualization Starter Kit Bob plugged this in the session - have a look! |
Jason Dykes
Cagatay Turkay
09/06/26
