Call for MSR 2027 Junior Program Committee
Following the successful editions of the MSR Shadow PC (2021-2022) and MSR Junior PC (2023-2026) initiatives, the MSR 2027 Junior PC will continue to integrate the junior researchers directly into the main Technical Track Program Committee.
Goal: The Junior PC aims to train the next generation of MSR and, more broadly, Software Engineering (SE) reviewers and Program Committee members by providing hands-on experience with the peer-review process, mentoring, and reviewer training.
Who Can Participate?
The Junior PC is open to PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, early-career faculty members, and industry practitioners holding PhDs with research experience in software engineering or mining software repositories, particularly those who have not previously served on the technical/research-track PC of major international SE conferences such as ICSE, FSE, ASE, MSR, ICSME, or SANER.
Junior PC members will be selected based on research experience, while also striving for diversity and broad representation.
Review Process and Training
Each MSR 2027 Research Track paper will be reviewed by two regular PC members and one Junior PC member. Junior PC members will serve alongside regular PC members and participate fully in the review process, including author responses and PC discussions to reach consensus.
Junior PC members will receive training and mentoring from senior researchers and/ or past MSR Distinguished Reviewers, as well as guidance from the MSR (Junior) PC Co-Chairs.Training will cover how to write rigorous and constructive reviews, apply MSR review criteria, maintain confidentiality and ethical standards, and participate effectively in PC discussions. Junior reviewers will also receive feedback on their reviews.
Our experience with previous editions indicates that integrating junior reviewers into the main review process can provide valuable training while maintaining the quality of the reviews received by authors, as discussed in our study of the MSR Junior PC initiative.
Why Join?
Serving on the Junior PC provides an opportunity to:
- Gain hands-on experience reviewing papers for a major international SE conference.
- Learn from reviews written by experienced regular PC members.
- Receive mentoring and feedback from senior researchers.
- Participate in real PC discussions and decision-making.
- Understand how a major conference Program Committee operates.
- Build reviewing experience that may support future invitations to technical-track PCs.
What is Expected?
Junior PC members will typically review 1–3 papers, submit detailed and constructive reviews on time, and actively participate in online discussions. Members must maintain the confidentiality of the review process, must not solicit sub-reviews, and must comply with the ACM Policy on the Use of Generative AI in Peer Review.
How to Apply
The Junior PC is open to PhD students, post-docs, new faculty members, and industry practitioners experienced in software engineering or mining software repositories research, especially those who have not yet served in a program committee of the technical research track (or the main track) of the international SE conferences (e.g., ICSE, FSE, ASE, MSR, ICSME, SANER). We will select the Junior PC members based on research experience for joining the Junior PC. The Junior PC selection process will also strive to ensure diversity.
How to Apply?
Interested candidates should complete the MSR 2027 Junior PC application form by September 15, 2026, AoE:
MSR 2027 Junior PC Application Form
Important Dates
All deadlines are firm, and are in Anywhere on Earth (AoE):
- Junior PC Self-Nomination Deadline: September 15, 2026, AoE
- Announcement of Junior PC members: October 5, 2026 AoE
- MSR Review Tutorial: October 7-18, 2026