The Internet Society NDSS Symposium Fellowship
The Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium 2025 will take place from 24-28 February 2025 in San Diego, California. Student fellowships are available to help full-time students participate in person in NDSS Symposium 2025. Student fellowships will be awarded on a case-by-case basis.
The deadline to apply for student support is 5:00 pm PST (UTC-8) on Friday, 13 December 2024.
Student fellowships will be awarded by the NDSS Student Support Committee, and the fellowship program will be delivered by the Internet Society. The fellowship package includes:
- One full registration to the NDSS Symposium
- Two pre-symposium webinars with the Internet Society’s fellowship team (approx. 1 hour each)
- A follow-up webinar in mid-2025
- A contribution towards travel and accommodation costs, depending on your place of study.
You will need to submit the following documents online, as a single PDF or Zip file:
- A completed online student fellowship application
- Proof of student status: a letter from your department stating that you are a student, OR a copy of your current transcript
- A brief CV or resume
- A personal statement including why you believe you would benefit from attending the NDSS Symposium, a brief statement of research interests, and areas reflected in the NDSS Symposium program that would impact your research. Please limit this to 1-2 paragraphs.
NOTE: All documents must be uploaded in a SINGLE PDF or Zip File. If you upload multiple files by mistake, please email [email protected], as you will not be able to re-upload.
Frequently Asked Questions about NDSS Student Fellowship
How many students will be awarded?
The final number of students who can be awarded and the level of support offered are determined by the amount of sponsorship money received, as well as the other available resources. This will be finalized at the time of the award announcements, once all applications have been evaluated.
Who is eligible to submit an application for the fellowship?
Any graduate or undergraduate student enrolled in a computer security related program at a college or university anywhere in the world.
What is my “current transcript”?
Your “transcript” is an official copy of your institution’s record of your academic enrolment, courses, grades and graduations. In the US, you may also see it referred to as your permanent record. In the EU, you may see the equivalent referred to as your Transcript of Records or ToR.
What does the student fellowship include?
The student fellowships include two pre-conference workshops scheduled in early 2025 and travel support. Student travel support covers the NDSS Symposium Registration fees for 2024. Some travel expenses may be covered as well on a reimbursement basis. This will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
What does the student travel support NOT cover?
Any expenses that are above the total approved support amount or are for items not included in the list of covered expenses. A list of covered expenses (e.g. airfare and hotel) will be provided with the documentation accompanying the support award.
Will the NDSS Symposium refund the cost of my flight tickets if I registered to attend in-person but am subsequently unable to travel?
No. Please note that if you make any non-refundable purchases of e.g. flight tickets, we will NOT be able to reimburse you. Therefore, we recommend you do not buy non-refundable plane tickets unless you are sure you will be able to attend, or you have purchased travel insurance that covers trip cancellations.
How will the student fellowship awards be determined?
Considerations for recipients of student support funds will include:
- Evidence of serious interest and aptitude in the security field, as demonstrated by coursework and/or projects and research experience.
- Evidence of community leadership interests and skills, as demonstrated by engagement with the broader community.
- Evidence of mentoring and teaching beyond standard academic responsibilities and roles, especially helping peers or supporting fellow students of any grade to learn about security topics.
- Evidence of collaboration and teamwork activities, especially as applied to problems in the security field.
- Identified benefits from attendance and participation, particularly how participating in the symposium could shape the student’s future studies and/or research.
- Demonstrated potential as an emerging security researcher who could contribute to the published content at future NDSS symposia.
- Proof of enrollment in a security-related program at a college/university.
As part of the NDSS Symposium’s efforts to increase representation, accessibility, and diversity, particular consideration will be given to students who identify as female or members of underrepresented communities in tech, students who did not receive previous support, and first-time attendees, including students with disabilities and students from areas of the world with ongoing crises.
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