Home › Conference Organizers › Conference › Program BCP

SIGCOMM Program Committee Composition

This page summarizes recommendations for PC composition and the PC selection process.

 

Goals for PC Composition

In the interest of intellectual vibrancy, the SIGCOMM PC should be comprised of researchers with diverse backgrounds and interests.  In particular, the PC should be formulated taking into account the following guidelines:
 

  • There should be some people from the last year's PC for continuity, and some new people for new blood.  A typical breakdown is for the PC to be composed of one-third first-time PC members, one-third infrequent PC members (had been on the PC one or two times), and one-third frequent PC members (had been on the PC three or more times before).
  • The interests represented by the PC members should cover the relevant subject areas. 
  • The academic backgrounds and affiliations (past and present), and geographical regions of PC members should be diverse.   The composition should strive for good representation of both academia and industry, as well as of both men and women.
  • The PC is required to include the SIGCOMM chair or the chair's designee from the SIGCOMM Executive Committee.
  • The PC generally includes several past program co-chairs, and almost always includes one of the program co-chairs from the previous year.

PC Selection Process

It can be a difficult process selecting a PC that balances the many different kinds of constituencies within SIGCOMM.   As a result, the selection process should proceed as follows:

  • PC Chairs should draw up a candidate list of PC members.  It is understood that not all folks on the list will agree to serve, and so some alternates should be provided as well.
  • PC Chairs should provide the following statistics:
    • regional division (e.g.: Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa)
    • number of PC members with 0, 1, 2+ years of membership
    • number from industry/academia
    • list of academic institutions with more than one affiliated PC member, and for each, the number of affiliated PC members (past or present; affiliation means either a faculty or student at that institution)  
  • PC Chairs submit the PC list and statistics to the TSC for comments. 
  • TSC provides feedback on the list.  Typically this would take the form of observations about overall balance across categories.   Feedback on individual members may be provided as well.
  • PC Chairs make final adjustments to list based on TSC feedback, after which invitations can be sent.

Note that decisions about which individuals to invite to the PC are the purview of the PC Chairs;  the role of the TSC is primarily to comment on balance.