Infrastructure
Real cyberinfrastructure
Work on Nautilus / NRP with CAIDA's measurement datasets — BGP, topology, active measurement, the network telescope, developing modules intended to be used in actual university courses.
CAIDA Summer Training Program
Summer 2026 pilot cohort · ESCALATE-supported
A ten-week program in Internet measurement and cybersecurity research, culminating in a one-week in-person hackathon at the San Diego Supercomputer Center alongside other active members of the Internet research community.
A program of the Center for Applied Internet Data Analysis at UC San Diego / SDSC, supported by the ESCALATE project (NSF OAC-2519416).
- Program dates
- Jun 15 - Aug 21, 2026
- Format
- 9 wks remote + 1 wk on-site
- Commitment
- 10 - 40 hrs/wk
- Cohort size
- Up to 25
- Hackathon
- Aug 18 - 21 · SDSC
About the program
The CAIDA Summer Training Program is a ten-week program culminating in a one-week in-person hackathon at the San Diego Supercomputer Center, alongside other active members of the Internet research community. The intent is to produce ESCALATE training modules that can be used to teach cybersecurity and networking courses. Participants are paired with a mentor in the Internet measurement community and join a small cohort working with NSF-funded cyberinfrastructure on real datasets and real research questions in Internet measurement and cybersecurity. Summer 2026 is the pilot cohort.
The program is milestone-structured rather than hour-structured, which lets it accommodate full-time participants and lighter-commitment research collaborators in the same cohort. It is supported by ESCALATE, CAIDA's NSF-funded initiative for hands-on, data-driven cybersecurity education.
What you'll walk away with
- Infrastructure
- Use NSF-funded HPC resources to process and analyze global-scale Internet infrastructure data.
- Module development
- Some participants leave with a new training module they built from their own dataset.
- Evaluation & testing
- All participants contribute testing and evaluation of existing and developing modules for educational use.
What to expect
Mentorship
Mentored cohort
Up to 25 participants paired with CAIDA mentors at a 4:1 ratio, with weekly one-on-ones and a small synchronous cohort rhythm.
On-site
SDSC hackathon
One week at the San Diego Supercomputer Center alongside the broader Internet research community. Travel support is available.
Program details
| Format | Remote, with a one-week in-person hackathon in San Diego. |
|---|---|
| Hackathon location | San Diego Supercomputer Center, UC San Diego · La Jolla, CA |
| Time commitment | Milestone-structured · accommodates 10 - 40 hrs/week |
| Cohort size | Up to 20 participants · 4:1 mentee-to-mentor maximum |
| Eligibility | Undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and experienced research collaborators. International applicants with Internet measurement background welcome. |
| Travel support | Available for participants attending the on-site hackathon in person. |
| Ownership of work | Modules and tooling are released open-source for free academic and educational use. |
| Funding | ESCALATE (NSF OAC-2519416) |
Who this is for
The program is open across roles — undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and experienced research collaborators. International applicants are welcome.
Required of all applicants
- Working comfort with Python and the Unix command line
- Reliability, clear communication, and willingness to ask questions
- Availability for a few hours of synchronous cohort time per week
Required for international applicants only
- Prior familiarity with at least one Internet measurement method — BGP, traceroute / topology, active or passive measurement, network telescopes, or similar
Domestic applicants do not need prior measurement experience — we use the summer to teach measurement fundamentals as needed. The additional prerequisite for international applicants reflects visa lead times: travel-supported participants are committed many weeks before the program begins, and we want to be confident they can engage with the technical work from week one.
Important dates
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Sun, May 3, 2026Applications open
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Sun, May 31, 2026Application deadline
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Fri, Jun 5, 2026Acceptance notifications sent
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Mon, Jun 15, 2026Program begins
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Tue - Fri, Aug 18 - 21, 2026On-site hackathonHosted at the San Diego Supercomputer Center.
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Fri, Aug 21, 2026Program ends
All dates are in Pacific Time. Dates may shift slightly; interested applicants should check this page or contact training-program-info@caida.org.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need prior experience with Internet measurement?
For all applicants, it is recommended — we will use the summer to cover Internet measurement fundamentals as they apply to the program.
For international applicants, yes. We ask for working familiarity with at least one Internet measurement approach (BGP, traceroute and topology, active or passive measurement, network telescopes, or similar). Visa lead times mean we commit to travel-supported participants many weeks before the hackathon begins, and we want to be confident they can engage with the technical work from week one.
Is participation full-time?
It can be, but it does not have to be. The program is milestone-structured and accommodates anywhere from 10 to 40 hours per week. A lighter weekly commitment runs on a longer personal clock through the same milestones; a full-time commitment moves through them faster.
Who owns the work I produce?
Modules and tooling produced through the program are released open-source for free academic and educational use. The intent is to produce ESCALATE training modules that can be used to teach cybersecurity and networking courses. CAIDA will maintain the work after the program concludes.
Apply to the program
If the program sounds like something you would want to spend a summer on, we would like to hear from you. Applications are open through May 31, 2026.
Questions about the program or application process — reach out at training-program-info@caida.org.
This material is based on research sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant OAC-2519416. The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of NSF.
Additional Content
Apply: CAIDA Summer Training Program 2026
Application form for the CAIDA Summer Training Program 2026.