The Internet Society Pulse Research Fellowship supports researchers in conducting data-driven analysis or developing tools that contribute to an open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet.
The Internet Society is dedicated to ensuring that the internet remains open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy, believing that it should be accessible to everyone. Their focus lies in expanding the internet’s reach, enhancing its reliability and resilience. They also concentrate on assessing the effectiveness of their efforts and those of other internet industry organizations in facilitating its smooth functioning.
Recognizing the abundance of data collected by numerous individuals, projects, and organizations regarding various internet facets, the Internet Society has identified a crucial need for a centralized platform. This platform, named Internet Society Pulse, aims to offer a curated collection of insights derived from diverse sources. Its purpose is to provide comprehensive, data-driven insights into the internet’s functioning, thereby aiding individuals and organizations in gaining a deeper understanding of its dynamics.
Launched in December 2024, Internet Society Pulse represents a pioneering initiative by the Internet Society, consolidating diverse and trusted third-party internet measurement data from multiple sources into a singular platform. This platform serves as a comprehensive resource used to scrutinize internet trends and construct data-driven narratives. Its primary aim is to equip policymakers, researchers, journalists, network operators, civil society groups, and other stakeholders with deeper insights into the internet’s health, availability, and evolutionary trajectory.
Internet Society Pulse encourages broad engagement, inviting individuals interested in comprehending the internet’s evolution to utilize, analyze, and disseminate the data it presents in their respective work and research endeavors. The platform remains dynamic, evolving continually as new partners contribute additional data sources and focus areas to augment its capabilities. In 2024, particular emphasis will be placed on Internet Resilience and the Internet Way of Networking (IWN).
Through its multifaceted functionalities, Internet Society Pulse serves several critical purposes:
Firstly, it assists in enhancing comprehension of the rate of adoption of pivotal new internet technologies, thereby pinpointing areas necessitating heightened efforts to drive increased adoption.
Secondly, it provides a valuable resource for journalists, offering statistics, data, and graphical representations that support coverage of pertinent internet-related topics and events.
Thirdly, it furnishes policymakers with pertinent statistics, data, and contextual information to bolster their positions or influence policy development, especially concerning issues like internet shutdowns and local infrastructure resilience.
Lastly, it offers civil society groups, network operations, and internet users valuable insights into the availability, resilience, and reliability of both local and global internet infrastructure.
Program Objectives
- Support the development of original, top-tier Internet measurement research.
- Foster a community of researchers, data specialists, and network engineering experts alongside policymakers and journalists to help strengthen and grow the Internet.
- Strengthen partnerships among global organizations working on data-driven research to understand Internet trends.
- Develop new techniques or implement existing methodologies to improve data gathering, analysis, and visualization on the Pulse platform.
- Explore interdisciplinary research topics related to making the Internet resilient, robust, and open.
- Publish in top-tier conferences such as ACM IMC, CoNEXT, SIGMETRICS, or SIGCOMM.
Requirements For The Worldwide Internet Society Pulse Research Fellowship for Researchers.
The Pulse Research Fellowship is open to students or researchers based anywhere in the world who are interested in using state-of-the-art and/or novel Internet.
- Must be early-career researchers (graduate students, postdocs, junior faculty, and others conducting research outside of an academic institution within 10 years of graduation).
- Must be affiliated with an academic or research institution.
- Have not been a previous Pulse Research Fellow.
Duration
The fellowship and mentorship lasts approximately six months and will comprise two cohorts, one starting in February 2025 and the second in June 2025.
Location
The selected candidate/mentor can work remotely from anywhere in the world.
Stipend
The Internet Society will pay the following compensation directly to the fellow/mentor or contribute to their institution’s finances.
- Fellow: USD 17,000 (including USD 2,000 equipment/travel support)
- Mentor: USD 10,000 (including USD 2,000 equipment/travel support)
Selection Criteria
Applicants will be selected according to their:
- Proposal’s relevance to the Pulse focus areas.
- Knowledge of Internet measurements, policy, or data analysis/visualization, and experience necessary to accomplish the proposed research goals.
- Ability to commit at least 25 hours per week to the fellowship.
- Letter of support from supervisors.
The selection committee will comprise a mix of Internet Society Pulse staff and alumni from the previous Pulse Research Fellowship programs.
Timeline
- Application opens: 3 December 2024
- Application closes: 23 December 2024 (11:59 UTC)
- Notification: 6 January 2025
- Deadlines for detailed applications (shortlisted candidates only): 31 January 2025
- Final notification: 14 February 2025
- Start date: 3 March 2025 (First cohort) or 2 June 2025 (2nd cohort)
Application Deadline: 23 December 2024.
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