The goal of EMW is to provide useful hints to early career researchers (young academic, post-doc, PhD student, or master student).
As a young academic, post-doc, PhD student, or master student with research ambitions, you may wonder how internationally recognised researchers in computer science could become what they are now. What can one learn from their example? What do successful research paths look like? Are the important factors just as expected, or are there surprising aspects which make the difference? What is important to think about at your stage? How do you balance research, teaching, service and family life?
We welcome early career researcher to join the Mentoring Workshop at ETAPS 2026 in Turin! During this workshop, well known computer science researchers, of different seniority, will give inspirational talks about the path they took, what was important on the way, and insights they want to pass on to early career researchers. There will be plenty of opportunity for discussions and interaction, during the workshop and in the social programme around it.
Sat April 11th
08:45 AM – Welcome, Elvinia Riccobene and Stefan Hallerstade
09:00 – 09:45 AM: Marieke Huisman (University of Twente)
A verification journey: from sequential Java programs to massively-parallel GPU code
In my talk, I will reflect on my own research career: how did I get started, and how did this bring to me where I am nowadays. I will discuss how I developed as a researcher, including the impact of things that happened in my private life on my research.
10:00 – 10:30 AM – Coffee break
10:30 – 11:15 AM: Emilio Tuosto (GSSI)
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb[s]
Unlike the title of the great Kubrick's movie, this talk's title does concern nukes (or other explosive devices)! Let me explain. My path in academia is marked by the collaboration with great researchers (the 'bombs'), whom I had the privilege to work with since the very start. In this talk I will reflect on the advisor-advisee relationship, which I consider a very delicate aspect of research. For instance, a rather delicate element emerges from the fact that the relation advisor-advisee is "obviously" asymmetric (normally advisor's expertise and knowledge is wider than the advisee's); this may be intimidating and inhibit independent thinking of the advisee, so inhibiting them. My analysis will hinge on my experience as advisee and as advisor. In particular, I will reflect on the relation with my advisors during my MSc and PhD as well as on the relations as advisor of undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students as well as of young researchers. In the talk I will also discuss about the importance of conflict-resolution mechanisms to tackle issues that can emerge in advisor-advisee relations.
11:30 – 12:15 AM: Caterina Urban (INRIA)
What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong, and What Happened Anyway: Lessons from My Path
Career paths are shaped by a mix of deliberate choices, mistakes, and
events beyond our control. In this talk, I reflect on decisions I
believe I got right, choices I would make differently, and outcomes that
unfolded regardless of intent --- sometimes due to luck, sometimes to
bad timing. Rather than presenting a recipe for success, the goal is to
share concrete lessons about uncertainty, timing, and resilience, and to
highlight what can (and cannot) be influenced along the way. I hope
these reflections will help others navigate their own paths with more
clarity, patience, and perspective.
12:20 – 02:00 PM – Lunch
02:00 – 02:45 PM: Claudio Menghi (University of Bergamo)
Connecting the Dots: Navigating Early Academic Life in the Theory and Practice of Software
In this talk, I will reflect on my professional journey from a Master’s student to a young academic. I will reflect on failures and successes, and how they shaped my development as a researcher. By connecting the dots across stages of my career, I will share lessons learned and relate them to current research trends within the theory and practice of software. I will offer a perspective on early academic life and provide insights to help young researchers navigate their research paths.
03:00 – 03:45 PM : Barbara König (University of Duisburg)
Stressed Out - Personal Reflections on Stress and How to (Possibly) Deal With It
Stress is a part of working in academia. It manifests itself in different forms, starts in the PhD phase, continues in the PostDoc phase and does unfortunately not stop when one has a permanent position. In this talk I will reflect on stress and its implications from a personal point of view, as well as discuss strategies to (possibly) cope with it.
04:00 – 04:30 PM – Coffee break
04:30 – 05:15 PM: Andrea Basso (MITO Technology)
Conducting Research in the Era of Generative AI and Agentic AI: Rethinking Research Methodology in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
The advent of generative AI and agentic systems is radically transforming how we conceive, conduct, and validate scientific research. Rather than viewing these technologies as threats to traditional methods, this presentation positions them as amplification tools that can accelerate and enhance research practices. We will explore how generative models and agentic systems enable faster literature research, more sophisticated synthesis, and hypothesis generation, while maintaining the necessity for empirical validation and critical rigor. We will discuss how to integrate AI-assisted research with traditional scientific methodology, from research question formulation and data analysis through peer review and reproducibility, while addressing open questions around governance, accountability, traceability, and bias in AI-accelerated research. The role of standardization bodies (IEEE, ISO) in guiding responsible practices will be also presented.
Around 05:30 PM – Closing
From 7:30 PM – Workshop Dinners
Participating at the workshop requires a registration for the ETAPS workshops on Sunday.