The AfriCHI’27 Doctoral and Masters Consortium (DMC) is an in-person, full-day event taking place during the AfriCHI’27 conference in Nigeria. The primary goal of the DMC is to provide a forum for in-depth research discussions and to build a mentoring and peer network among a small group of participating Masters and PhD students. We also aim to support postgraduate students in their scholarship and research endeavours in Human Computer Interaction (HCI).
The Masters and Doctoral Consortium welcomes applications from Masters and PhD students undertaking a full research degree by dissertation or thesis. Please note that students enrolled in coursework-based Master’s programmes are not eligible. Applicants should be beyond the very early stages of their research, ideally with a research proposal that has already been developed or defended. We encourage applications from students whose research is situated within HCI and aligns with the AfriCHI’27 conference theme and, more broadly, with AfriCHI.
The Consortium offers a valuable opportunity to connect with a growing community of African HCI researchers and practitioners, receive constructive feedback on your work from experienced mentors and peers, and engage with others working on similar research or within African contexts. Participants will also benefit from support in navigating common postgraduate research challenges, including research design, methodology, academic writing, and publishing, while contributing to the broader goal of strengthening and growing African HCI scholarship across the continent.
Before the conference: Selected participants will be expected to engage in mentorship activities organised as part of AfriCHI’27 in the months leading up to the event. The exact shape of these activities will be tailored to the cohort of selected participants and may include, for example, mentoring sessions, peer discussions, or working towards a joint output.
At the conference: The Consortium is a full-day, in-person event. Participants will present their research and receive feedback from mentors and peers. We anticipate that in the morning, participants will briefly present their research questions and problem statements (approximately 5 minutes each), and in the afternoon, discuss a challenge they currently face in their research. Part of the day may also be dedicated to a hands-on session on crafting papers from your dissertation for submission to upcoming conferences.
If you would like to participate, please submit brief information using the Google Form outlining:
Participants will be selected according to the potential benefit of the DMC mentors to their scholarly development, taking into account their areas of research within the field of HCI and their research stage.
Submission deadline: 07 February 2027 .
Notifications: 26 February 2027
For any questions or comments about the Doctoral and Masters Consortium, please contact us at hafenimthoko@gmail.com.