Building the Information Theory Society Together

Welcome to our Volunteering Page.  Volunteering for the IEEE Information Theory Society is a great way to meet like-minded information theorists and be part of our community. We are grateful for the generous service of our volunteers and proud of what we have achieved together. Please join us!

To express your interest in volunteering, fill out the form below. After submitting, you will receive a confirmation email. Your request will be forwarded to a responsible person based on the checkboxes you select.
How Would You Like to Volunteer?
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Background  The Student and Outreach Activities Subcommittee within the ITSoc is charged with the planning and implementation of student-focused activities at the Society's Symposia and Workshops. As a subcommittee, we act as a bridge between the Society's student body and the broader membership, connecting students with the resources and opportunities available within the Society through events such as mentoring sessions, panels, and competitions.

Our primary objectives include the planning and execution of events and activities that address the needs and concerns of student members, as well as the promotion of participation from underrepresented demographics within the Society. Additionally, we aim to create services, such as a mentoring network, that support the growth and development of current members and encourage the engagement of potential future members. Overall, our goal is to foster a sense of community and inclusivity within the Society, and to provide opportunities for students to engage with and contribute to the broader mission of the ITSoc.

Requests will be forwarded to the chair of the Student and Outreach Subcommittee.
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Background Chapters of the IT Society throughout the world are active in organizing local events for members. Many chapters sponsor regional workshops on information theory, and host talks both by local researchers as well as by visiting scholars/lecturers as part of the IT Society’s Distinguished Lecturer Program.

Request Let us know where you are located in the “Why you are interested” text box and we can connect you with your local chapter. If you are interested in inviting a Distinguished Lecturer to your chapter event, please let us know.  We can also assist if you are interested in establishing a new chapter.

Requests will be forwarded to the chair of the Membership Committee.
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Background The Diversity and Inclusion Committee is responsible for creating and executing an ongoing diversity and inclusion strategy, including developing plans to collect data, deciding on metrics, and designing ways to execute it, finally presenting these bi-annually to the Board of Governors. An example of such an effort recently is that of developing and offering a survey to the ITSOC members about perceived and presented inclusiveness. This data has propelled recent efforts to broaden participation in ITSOC. 

Diversity and inclusion include, but are not limited to, the issues of gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, geography, seniority, or other personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications. The Committee is charged with ensuring that IT Soc events and processes are inclusive, welcoming and safe for everyone in the field of information theory and with developing and overseeing codes of conduct and best practices for all Society activities, including conferences, schools, and committees.

Request Various aspects of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are being worked on by different parts of the Society beyond the D&I Committee (e.g., by the Membership Committee and its subcommittees, by the Conference Committee, by the Nominations and Appointments Committee, by the editors of society publications, and by the Publications Committee, among others).  Please indicate any specific aspects of this committee’s focus in which you are interested in collaborating. The chair will look forward to working with you and helping to connect you with relevant ongoing efforts and/or on building on your new ideas!  If you wish, when contacting the chair, please consider including any context on your own motivations and/or lived experience that you think would help you and the chair get your conversation started.

Requests will be forwarded to the chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
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Background The WithITS program has as its mission to provide events and services that address needs and encourage participation of women and other underrepresented demographics, while being valuable to the community at large. Since its inception, WithITS has been very successful at organizing events at our main conferences that provide a safe space to discuss challenges related to women in STEM. These events also allow highlighting the contributions and achievements of women in the field of information theory. By actively engaging and supporting women, WithITS aims to foster a more inclusive and diverse community that truly reflects the talent and potential within our discipline. 

Request WithITS chairs are chosen every two years and increasingly represent the broadening geographic diversity of our society. WithITS chairs organize 1-2 events per year, at the flagship ISIT conference as well as other regional events including ITA, ITW, etc. We welcome ideas on enhancing this mission further. Opportunities abound for volunteering with pathways to leadership.

Requests will be forwarded to the WITHITS co-chairs.
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Background The Digital Presence Committee manages the IT Society’s online presence, including our website, video, social media and mailing lists.  The website includes member-contributed news and events, as well as microsites for our publications. We curate videos that showcase the IT Society's activities, particularly plenary and tutorial presentations from our events. We are continuously exploring new web-based initiatives to support the activities of the IT Society; this volunteer page is one example.  

Request We are looking for volunteers who want to help with the IT Society’s digital presence. Some specific needs include developing new websites to support society activities, improving our social media presence and collaborating with graphic artists. Or perhaps you have a great idea for an online initiative. We'd love to hear from you.

Requests will be forwarded to the chair of the Digital Presence Committee.
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Background The IT Society has a new initiative to reconnect with the students we educate who follow career paths in industry, including industries that may not be traditionally associated with information theory. Our goal is to form strong connections between the IT Society and industry, provide career development mentoring to our current graduate students and inspire exploration of new research areas to ITSoc researchers. 

Request We seek volunteers to help with the alumni in industry events and outreach activities. These include, preparation of the annual ISIT event, help with creating a directory of our affiliated members, and help with keeping our website updated.   

Requests will be forwarded to the chair of the Alumni in Industry Ad Hoc Committee.
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Background Our two conferences, ISIT and ITW are the lifeblood of the Information Theory Society. The role of a technical program committee member includes inviting reviewers for submitted papers and making recommendations to the TPC co-chairs.

Request If you are interested in volunteering for a specific conference, it is recommended you contact the TPC Co-Chair of that conference directly. More broadly, the volunteer page will serve as a mechanism to aid TPC chairs and co-chairs in identifying appropriate TPC members and reviewers.

Requests will be forwarded to the chair of the Conference Committee.
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Background The Information Theory Society publishes three journals: Specifically for JSAIT, all issues begin life as a proposal. Proposals are often developed by Issue Guest Editors and championed by an Issue Senior Editor who will collectively identify topics at the intersection of information theory with fields such as machine learning, statistics, genomics, neuroscience, theoretical computer science, and physics. 

Request Those interested in volunteering as reviewers, associate editors (AEs) or guest editors are encouraged to identify the area/topic of interest in the “Why you are interested” text box below. Your request will be forwarded to the editor-in-chief.
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Background The IT Society sponsors ISIT and ITW as well as Schools of Information Theory.  In addition, the IT Society technically co-sponsors numerous events each year.  Organizing an event not only benefits the Society as a whole, but also your regional community and enhances your research impact. 

Request Please indicate in the “Why you are interested” text box if you are interested in organizing an event, technical co-sponsorship for your event, or organizing a school. If you are interested in organizing a school, a good starting point is the list of past schools. 

Your request will be forwarded to the chair of the Conference Committee or the chair of the Schools Subcommitee Chair accordingly.
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Background The IEEE Information Theory Society is closely monitoring the open-access mandates of funding agencies around the world, and is currently investigating whether a new gold open-access publication should be launched.

Request The Society seeks volunteers interested in developing an open-access publication model, or in serving as an editor or a reviewer for a potential new open-access journal in information theory.

Your request will be forwarded to the chair of the Open Access Journal Ad Hoc Committee.
Tell Us About Yourself
Please include a CV listing your professional experience, including professional volunteering or service. Upload a single PDF file.
One file only.
1.46 GB limit.
Allowed types: pdf.
Optionally, your personal webpage which includes your CV or resume.
Years Since Ph.D. Completion
Briefly tell us anything in addition, such as why you are interested or any related experience you have (optional).
Please note that submitting this expression of interest does not guarantee that you will be asked to volunteer. Your request will be forwarded to responsible persons, who may contact you if or when positions become available; do not expect an immediate reply. Your expression of interest will be considered active for two years.