Summer of Protocols | Application | Program Calendar |People | Pilot Study

Applications are now closed.

Applications for the Summer of Protocols program are now open! All applications are due by March 21. The link is at the bottom of this page, and we strongly recommend you read this page carefully before starting your application. If you’re interested in participating in the program as a guest speaker or resident mentor/domain expert, please check out the Visiting Researchers page.

We invite applications for two roles:

• CORE RESEARCHERS will be required to develop and pursue an original program of study, research, and creative production over the full 18 weeks (May-August), and participate in weekly virtual sessions and ongoing asynchronous activities. Core researchers will be expected to produce two things over the summer:
  • An original piece of long-form writing relating to protocols, such as a nonfiction essay, case study, or work of fiction
  • A protocol-themed artifact that others can build on or incorporate into their own work (such as a reference implementation of a speculative protocol, a bibliography, or design assets).
• AFFILIATE RESEARCHERS will join the program primarily during the second half, for 9 weeks (July-August) and support one or more of the ongoing core-research projects through creative contributions, critical scrutiny, developmental support, and supporting expertise. Parts of the first half will be open to affiliate researchers for opt-in participation, but not required.

Researchers will be expected to work in an open and collaborative mode, participate in virtual group activities on the Discord, including attending regular virtual meetings (which will be a mix of audio and video calls, and feature guest speakers, updates from researchers, and discussions of key readings).

Core Researchers will be expected to commit full-time effort through the 18 weeks, with the program being their primary focus. Affiliate Researchers will be expected to commit on a more flexible basis, with significant part-time effort commitment expected through the second half of the program.

In particular, if you expect to be working a full-time job through the summer, please do not apply to the Core program. The Affiliate program may be suitable depending on your specific constraints.

Our goal is to foster a “working in public” environment for the program, with researchers encouraged to build on each other’s work freely. The output will be released under a suitable open license at the end of the program. Applicants are encouraged to propose and work on projects that can continue growing and developing beyond the program.

Besides these participants, we anticipate inviting a variety of guest speakers and informal short-term participants, and ongoing interactions with domain experts on various kinds of protocols.

The program will be primarily virtual, with an in-person workshop component of 2-3 days planned sometime in August or September. Travel support will be available.

Successful applicants will be eligible for a stipend (tentatively set at $2500/week for core researchers, $1250/week for affiliates) for the duration of their participation, as well as travel support for the in-person workshop component. Self-funded applicants, or applicants supported by their own institutions or employers are also encouraged to apply. All applicants, regardless of funding source, will be subject to the same program expectations and acceptance criteria.

Please note the following important details before applying:

1. if you’d like to apply as a team, each individual (up to 3) should submit a separate application with the same working title, and check the appropriate box to be considered together. Team applications will be either accepted or rejected together, so consider submitting aligned and composable, but otherwise independent individual applications instead.
2. The deadline for applications is  March 21, 2023, and decisions will be announced by March 31.
3. Shortlisted candidates for Core Researcher roles will need to be available for a quick virtual interview between March 21 and 31 before final decisions are made.
4. A virtual town-hall for prospective applicants will be held on Friday, March 10, at 1530 UTC. If you’re interested in applying, we strongly recommend you attend.
5. We strongly recommend that prospective applicants review the pilot paper, *The Unreasonable Sufficiency of Protocols, the and the to develop a sense of the themes of interest, and general scope of the program.*