The Trail of Bits SummerCon Fellowship program is now accepting applications from emerging security researchers with excellent project ideas. Fellows will explore their research topics with our guidance and then present their findings at SummerCon 2019 . We will be reserving at least 50% of our funding for marginalized, female-identifying, transgender, and non-binary candidates. If you’re interested in applying, read on!
Why we’re doing thisInclusion is a serious and persistent issue for the infosec industry. According to the 2017 (ISC) 2 report on Women in Cybersecurity , only 11% of the cybersecurity workforce identify as women -a deficient proportion that hasn’t changed since 2013. Based on a 2018 (ISC) 2 study , the issue is worse for women of color, who report facing pervasive discrimination, unexplained denial or delay in career advancement, exaggerated highlights of mistakes and errors, and tokenism.
Not only is this ethically objectionable, it makes no business sense. In 2012, Mckinsey & Company found -with ‘startling consistency’―that “for companies ranking in the top quartile of executive-board diversity, Returns on Equity (ROE) were 53 percent higher, on average, than they were for those in the bottom quartile. At the same time, Earnings Before Tax and Interest (EBTI) margins at the most diverse companies were 14 percent higher, on average, than those of the least diverse companies.”
The problem is particularly conspicuous at infosec conferences: a dearth of non-white non-male speakers, few female attendees, and pervasive reports of sexual discrimination. That’s why Trail of Bits and one of the longest-running hacker conferences, SummerCon, decided to collaborate to combat the issue. Through this fellowship, we’re sponsoring and mentoring emerging talent that might not otherwise get enough funding, mentorship, and exposure, and then shining a spotlight on their research.
Funding and mentorship to elevate your security researchThe Trail of Bits SummerCon Fellowship provides awarded fellows with:
$10,000 grant to fund a six-month security research project Dedicated research mentorship from a security engineer at Trail of Bits An invitation to present findings at SummerCon 201950% of the program spots are reserved for marginalized, people of color, female-identifying, transgender, and non-binary candidates. Applicants of all genders, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities are encouraged to apply.
The research topics we’ll supportApplicants should bring a low-level programming or security research project that they’ve been wanting to tackle but have lacked the time or resources to pursue. They’ll have strong skills in low-level or systems programming, reverse engineering, program analysis (including dynamic binary instrumentation, symbolic execution, and abstract interpretation), or vulnerability analysis.
We’re especially interested in research ideas that align with our areas of expertise. That way, we can better support applicants. Think along the lines of:
Binary analysis Static/dynamic analysis techniques Blockchain and smart contract security Cryptography LLVM engineering Software verification How do I apply?Apply here!
We’re accepting applications until January 15th. We’ll announce fellowship recipients in February.
Interested in applying? Go for it!Submissions will be judged by a panel of experts from the SummerCon foundation, including Trail of Bits. Good luck!
