School of Computing Science

RetroEVAL2026: Symposium on Natural Language Generation Evaluations

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 01 June, 2026
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: University of Aberdeen

Evaluation in the field of Natural Language Generation (NLG) has changed considerably over the past several decades. This special symposium in honour of Prof. Ehud Reiter’s retirement provides a forum for academic and industry researchers to look back on the topic of how evaluations in the field of NLG have changed and to explore unaddressed challenges. The two day symposium will be held in-person at the Sir Duncan Rice Library in the historic University of Aberdeen, June 1-2, 2026. For this symposium, we welcome submissions of long papers, short papers, and extended abstracts. Event site – https://retroeval.github.io/ Registration – https://www.tickettailor.com/events/sicsa/2203784

An Eye Tracking Study: Are AI Overviews Changing Search Behavior?

Group: Information Retrieval (IR)
Speaker: Sara Allawati, RMIT University, affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S)
Date: 01 June, 2026
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 422 Seminar Room

Title
An Eye Tracking Study: Are AI Overviews Changing Search Behavior?

Abstract
We conduct a lab eye-tracking study to examine how users interact with search engines that place Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) results above traditional search results, also known as "ten blue links", and we use an engagement scale to evaluate their experience. Our aim is to study how users interact with search engine interfaces that incorporate GenAI content, assess users' willingness to scroll past GenAI content to view the traditional search results, and explore how these interactions differ from existing literature on scanning search engine result pages. We show that GenAI content is changing how people search, but the "golden triangle” remains valid, where the top-left section of the search page attracts the most attention. Searchers are still engaging with the blue links in patterns consistent with the literature; however, they engage significantly more with GenAI content.

Bio
Sara Allawati is a PhD Candidate at RMIT University, affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S). Her research sits at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction and Information Retrieval, with a focus on understanding how generative AI is reshaping the way people search online. Using eye-tracking methodology, she investigates how tools like AI Overviews influence user attention, query formulation, and decision-making.

She holds a Master's in Information Technology from RMIT University and a Bachelor's in Biomedical Sciences from Deakin University. Her research has been published at SIGIR, WWW, and CIKM. Beyond her research, she is actively involved in the academic community through leadership roles, conference organisation, and volunteering at IR conferences.

TBC

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: Jinming Yang
Date: 04 June, 2026
Time: 10:00 - 11:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 423 Seminar Room

EASE 2026: International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 09 June, 2026
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: James McCune Smith Learning Hub, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QW

EASE is an internationally leading venue for academics and practitioners to present and discuss their research on evidence-based software engineering, and its implications for software practice. EASE is ranked as A conference in CORE. The 30th edition of EASE will take place in Glasgow, Scotland. EASE 2026 welcomes high-quality submissions, describing original and unpublished research for the following tracks: full research papers, short papers & emerging results, industry, posters & vision, journal-first, and a doctoral symposium. There will also be co-located events, including workshops and tutorials, and a track planned for journal-first presentations. See conference website for submission tracks and deadlines. EASE 2026

SICSA Pre-EC Day 2026

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 12 June, 2026
Time: 10:00 - 15:30
Location: Robert Gordon University, United Kingdom

View programme or Register — The SICSA Pre-EC Day allows colleagues in the field of evolutionary computation the opportunity to showcase their most recent work. The conference’s primary focus is on researchers who have papers/posters accepted at upcoming 2026 conferences, giving them the chance to present their work to an expert, supportive community of EC researchers from across Scottish institutions. The event also allows colleagues who cannot attend conferences such as GECCO, CEC, PPSN, Evo* and others the opportunity to hear about the latest research being developed in Scotland. We will welcome speakers who have accepted papers across the summer 2026 conferences, as well as speakers who have field-specific or field-adjacent research that would be of interest to the EC research community that has or is targeting publication. Attendance is free for students and academics based in Scotland.

S3CIX 2026 - Symposium and Summer School on Computational Interaction

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 16 June, 2026
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, University of Glasgow, 18 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow, G12 8QN, United Kingdom

Registration for the 10th Symposium and Summer School on Computational Interaction will open 1 February and close 14 March 2026. View programme, event details and registration process at S³CIX 2026. This year S³CIX is expanding from a Summer School format to also include a 4 day long academic Symposium. We anticipate about 30 students and 40 academics and invited speakers to attend. There will also be two workshops. Computational interaction often involves elements from machine learning, signal processing, information theory, optimisation, inference, control theory and formal modelling. Computational interaction would typically involve at least one of: an explicit mathematical model of user-system behaviour; a way of updating that model with observed data from users; an algorithmic element that, using this model, can directly synthesise or adapt the design; a way of automating and instrumenting the modelling and design process; the ability to simulate or synthesise elements of the expected user-system behaviour.”

TBC

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: Muhammad Arif
Date: 18 June, 2026
Time: 10:00 - 11:00
Location: Lilybank Gardens, F121 Conference Room

10th Summer School and Symposium on Computational Interaction (S³CIX)

Group: Inference, Dynamics and Interaction (IDI)
Speaker: multiple
Date: 20 June, 2026
Time: 09:00 - 16:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 422 Seminar Room

Welcome to the Symposium and Summer School on Computational Interaction! This year we are expanding from a Summer School format to also include a 4 day long academic Symposium. We anticipate about 30 students and 40 academics and invited speakers to attend. There will also be two workshops.

SPLV’26: Scottish Programming Languages and Verification Summer School 2026

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 03 August, 2026
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: TBA

The 2026 edition of SPLV will be held at the University of Glasgow, with the main courses running from within the Gilbert Scott Building. The school is aimed at PhD students in programming languages, verification and related areas. Researchers and practitioners are welcome, as are strong undergraduate and masters students with the support of a supervisor. Participants should have a background in computer science, mathematics or a related discipline. Prospective students may contact the organisers if they have any concerns about background knowledge. Registration will open March 2026. View full programme at SPLV 2026 | SPLV