Get Involved!

There are several ways to become involved with the Cybersecurity Initiative.

Apply to be a Cybersecurity Policy Research Fellow

Cybersecurity Policy Research Fellows work on independent research projects under the guidance of Dr. Jessica Beyer. Research fellows are required to produce one piece of high quality research a quarter and attend weekly research group meetings. They are also required to attend any Cybersecurity Initiative sponsored events.

Research fellows receive the title “Cybersecurity Policy Fellow” and close research/writing mentorship from Dr. Beyer. They can receive research credit, but it is optional. Fellows become a part of the broader Cybersecurity Initiative network.

Students of any level – undergraduate to graduate – may be a research fellow. Students must be willing to collaborate with their colleagues and work toward creating an inclusive and productive research environment. Students must be willing to revise their research reports repeatedly under the guidance of Dr. Beyer.

In most cases, students must have taken one of the Jackson School’s cybersecurity classes in order to apply to become a fellow. 

To apply to become a research fellow:

• Please email Dr. Jessica Beyer (jlbeyer@uw.edu) an email with the subject line, “Cybersecurity Fellow Application.”
• Treat the email itself as a cover letter and in it discuss (1) what your major/home department and year is, (2) why you are applying to become a research fellow, (3) what type of coursework you have completed in cybersecurity or technology policy, and (4) what you would like to focus on during your time as a fellow. Topics of focus can either be thematic (e.g., IoT or international norms) or area focused (e.g., China). Please note that if you would like to focus on a particular part of the world (e.g., Russia or China), in most cases, you will need to be able to conduct research in relevant languages.
• Attach an up to date resume to your email.
• Attach a solo-authored writing sample to your email. This can be a paper from one of your classes that you feel is particularly good.

Before applying, it can be useful to read the published cybersecurity research on this site.

Volunteer Time & Expertise

The Cybersecurity Initiative has benefited from the time and expertise of professionals in our network. These friends of the Initiative have given public lectures, spoken in our classes, run workshops, and have offered career advice to our students. If you are a professional who would like to become involved in the initiative, we would love to speak with you. We are particularly interested in people who have worked in government, in technology policy broadly defined, or who have a social science background but have made the move into the tech industry. Please email Jessica Beyer (jlbeyer@uw.edu) to get in contact.

Give Resources

The Cybersecurity Initiative has been made possible with generous funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. However, the Initiative is always looking for substantive support to expand our programmatic capacity. Make a gift to the Jackson School here.