Student Fellows

CACR Student Fellowship Program

Real Work for Real Clients

“The Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research’s Student Fellow Program focuses on the development of future leaders in the cybersecurity workforce; we expect our fellows to have a multiplicative impact.” 

- Rob Templeman, IU Executive Director of Cybersecurity Innovation and CACR Chief Engineer

Through the CACR student fellowship program, leading cybersecurity experts at Indiana University equip students with on-the-job experiences in protecting critical information and systems.

CACR student fellows are at the forefront of client work, conducting cyber assessments and operations research, and finding ways to increase automation.

With cybersecurity undergraduate and graduate programs across several schools, IU is a national leader in multidisciplinary cybersecurity education. Programs such as the Master of Science in Cybersecurity Risk Management degree program allow students to take coursework from the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, the Kelley School of Business and the Maurer School of Law. A joint degree program between the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and the Luddy School offers a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and Global Policy.

Every student fellow is paired with a CACR staff mentor, and contributes directly to CACR’s active projects, programs, and initiatives over the course of a year-long appointment. 

Prior to applying, closely review the information below in each of the categories.

If you have questions, contact cacr@iu.edu with the subject line "Question regarding the CACR Student Fellowship Program."  

Submit Application

Program Details

Student fellow appointments are for one year, beginning at the start of the fall semester and ending before the beginning of the subsequent fall semester, with an option to include the intervening summer term. Onboarding activities will begin in the two weeks prior to or following the start of the semester depending on student and staff availability.

During the spring semester each year, we will announce the deadline for applicants wishing to be considered for that fall’s cohort. While we plan to align the start of each cohort with the beginning of the academic year, we are accepting applications year-round.

To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled as an Indiana University graduate student with a GPA of at least 3.4.

All IU Maurer School of Law students are eligible to apply but should be aware of the existing for-credit Student Affiliate Program associated with the graduate certificates for cybersecurity and information privacy law and policy. Those opportunities are distinct from this program.

International graduate students are eligible for the program. International students on visas who are selected for fellowships will work with staff at the Office of International Services and CACR to ensure that they can complete their fellowship requirements.

Click the button below to begin your application. Attach the following required documents:

1) Resume or CV

2) A Statement of Interest no longer than 1 page. In developing your statement, we recommend referencing the R&D topics detailed below. However, your interest in these research topics is not a requirement for CACR to consider you for a fellowship.

3) Two references, including contact information

Optional, but strongly preferred:

4) A Writing Sample. Samples can be of any length and on any topic. Existing published and unpublished work may be used. Writing is an important part of working at CACR, and we want to get a sense of your writing style and capabilities. This must be your own work product, with proper attribution and unaided by AI/ML.

Applicants and applications not meeting these requirements will not be considered.

Student fellows will be compensated at a rate of $25/hour for up to $10,000 total for the year.

Student fellows commit to devote no fewer than 200 hours and no more than 400 hours to CACR work over the course of the one-year appointment.

Student fellows will meet and communicate regularly with their CACR mentor.

Students fellows will meet CACR's standards for professionalism, teamwork, respect for others, and timeliness.

Students who successfully complete their fellowship will be acknowledged permanently as CACR Student Fellows.