Pulse Research Fellowship and Mentorship

The Internet Society Pulse Research Fellowship and Mentorship is a six-month program that supports researchers in conducting data-driven analysis or developing tools that contribute to an open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet. The fellowship has been running for three years, and we introduced a mentor scheme in 2025. Check out our Fellowship Alumni.

Applications for the 2026 Research Fellowship and Mentorship are now open!

Who can apply

Mentors and Fellows will work on one Internet Society Pulse focus area: Enabling Technologies, Internet Shutdowns, Internet Resilience, Market Concentration, and Keeping Traffic Local.

Pulse Research Fellowship Apply	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 measurement techniques to research a specific area that contributes to upholding an open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy 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. 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.
Pulse Research Mentorship Apply	We invite seasoned Internet measurement researchers to serve as “mentors” to guide the fellows throughout the six-month program.	Expertise in Internet Measurements, Internet Policy and/or other related field (economics, social science, etc.) Prior mentorship experience. Can come from different sectors such as industry, non-profit organizations, research, or academic institutions. Mentors should have a PhD with a good record of publications. Ability to commit between 4-8 hours per week to the mentorship program.

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 engaged in data-driven research to gain a deeper understanding of 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.

Timeline

1. Application opens: 3 December 2025
2. Application closes: 23 December 2025 (11:59 UTC)
3. Fellowship Notification: 16 January 2026
4. Deadlines for detailed applications (shortlisted candidates only): 6 February 2026
5. Mentor Notification: 14 February 2026
6. Final notification: 14 February 2026
7. Start date: 2 March 2026 (First cohort) or 1 June 2026 (2nd cohort)

The fellowship and mentorship last approximately six months and will comprise two cohorts, one starting in February and the second in June. Selected candidates/mentors can work remotely from anywhere in the world and are provided an appropriate stipend.

• Fellow: USD 17,000 (including USD 2,000 equipment/travel support)
• Mentor: USD 10,000 (including USD 2,000 equipment/travel support)

Selection Committee

The selection committee will comprise a mix of Internet Society Pulse staff and alumni from the previous Pulse Research Fellowship programs.

If you have questions about the program or the application process, please email [email protected].