CyberPowder Fellows Program

Call for Applications

CyberPowder 2027

We are pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for the 2027 CyberPowder Fellows Program. CyberPowder is an NSF-funded wireless networking hands-on training and research mentoring program for US-based graduate students. (NSF CyberTraining award number: 2417934)

The CyberPowder Fellows Program addresses the problem that wireless experimental research is inherently multidisciplinary, crossing the EE and CS divide; that wireless networking is undergoing rapid technology and regulatory change; and that today’s wireless testbeds are highly sophisticated, which also means they require significant training to use. The Program is led by three professors across EE and CS at the University of Utah, Neal Patwari, Robert Ricci and Kobus Van der Merwe, with support from the POWDER platform technical staff. The Program trains students across the wireless stack to perform wireless related research on POWDER, the world’s largest openly-accessible software-defined wireless testbed. POWDER is deployed across the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City and remotely accessible from anywhere in the world.

The CyberPowder Fellows Program consists of:

Weekly research-focused online wireless networking training meetings from January-April, which are a combination of lecture and hands-on labs that fellows complete on the POWDER platform.
Engagement with fellows and their advisors on research ideation to support them in defining experimentation plans associated with their research objectives.
A week-long research exploration at the POWDER platform at the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, during which fellows will work with the platform and its elements and enact the experimental research plan they have defined.
Continued research support provided by the POWDER technical staff after the formal completion of the program.

Why should you apply?

If you are a graduate student with thesis research in wireless networking areas, e.g., radio propagation, wireless communications, spectrum sharing etc. (E.g., here is a list of published research that have used the POWDER platform, and here is information on the projects the CyberPowder Fellows did in 2025 and 2026.)
If you expect your research to be experimental (e.g., measurements, real world validation).
If you can commit to weekly class Zoom meetings (anticipated to be on Fridays from 10am-12:40pm MT) and homework assignments during Jan-Apr 2027 and a one week visit to Salt Lake City, Utah (likely in early May 2027).

The CyberPowder Fellows Program is free to selected graduate student Fellows, including travel to Salt Lake City for the week-long research exploration.

How to apply:

Talk with your faculty research advisor – they will continue to mentor your PhD research, and coordinate with the CyberPowder staff, to discuss your planned project during the entirety of the Fellows program. Depending on your advisor and home institution policies, you may be able to obtain independent study course credit for the CyberPowder Fellows Program.
Fill out the application. (We will follow up with your faculty research advisor for their agreement to have you participate.)

For full consideration please apply by November 13th 2027. Selected Fellows will be notified by December 1st 2026.

Important dates and planned timeline for 2027 CyberPowder Fellows Program:

Applications due: November 13th 2026
Faculty research advisor response due: November 20th 2026
Notification of selected Fellows: December 1st 2026
Online training sessions start (planned): Week of January 11th 2027
Online training sessions complete (planned): Week of April 19th 2027
In-person research exploration week at POWDER facility (planned): early May 2027

Note that while the CyberPowder Fellows Program is primarily aimed at US based graduate students, we might be able to accommodate a small number of non-US students. (Such participants will not be eligible to receive travel funds.) Please contact us if you might be interested in this option.

Enquiries please email at: cyberpowder@powderwireless.net

Schedule

Program Details

Part 1: Online training

The online training part of CyberPowder will involve weekly two-to-three hour Zoom sessions that will run (*tentatively*) from Friday 1/15/2027 through Friday 4/23/2027. (*Anticipated* meeting time will be 10am-12:40pm MT.)

Most online sessions will involve two components: (1) Classroom style teaching/lecturing and (2) Hands-on exploration of the covered material using the POWDER platform. (POWDER is fully remotely accessible.)

Please note that students selected for the CyberPowder Fellows Program will be expected to attend all training sessions.

During the online training period, there will also be a number of at-home hands-on assignments. The CyberPowder staff will conduct virtual office hours to provide support with these assignments.

Topics (*subject to change*) to be covered during the online training will include the following sessions (Lecture (L), Hands-on (HO)):

Session 1:

Program Overview, POWDER Platform Concepts & Workflow (L)
Spectrum Monitoring (HO)

Session 2:

POWDER Profiles, Resources & Reservations (L)
Mobile Networking Architecture (L)
Profiles, Resources & Reservations (HO)

Session 3:

Wireless fundamentals: Power, Path loss, multipath, shadow fading (L)
Path loss measurements & Shout measurement framework (HO)

Session 4:

Wireless fundamentals: Modulation & coding, PHY & radio transmission (L)
Over-the-air narrow band modulation (HO)

Session 5:

Mobile networking: RAN and Core (L)
End-to-end 5G SA (HO)

Session 6:

Experimental evaluation, Repeatability & Artifact creation (L)
Artifact creation for experimental repeatability (HO)

Session 7:

Open RAN Architecture (L)
End-to-end O-RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) + 5G + xApp (HO)

Session 8:

O-RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) + 5G + xApp - deep dive (HO)

Session 9:

O-RAN + ML (L)
End-to-end O-RAN near-realtime RIC + ML (HO)

Session 10:

Spectrum sharing & management, Digital spectrum twin (L)
Towards an operational digital spectrum twin with OpenZMS (HO)

Part 2: Research ideation

CyberPowder staff will engage with Fellows and their advisors to understand their research objectives and support them in defining experimentation plans that will allow them to evaluate their research on POWDER.

We expect this phase to run in parallel with the online training activities, with a goal of having each Fellow define a specific experimentation plan before the in-person exploration event.

Part 3: In-person research exploration

In-person research exploration will be a weeklong event at the POWDER facility on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fellows will be reimbursed for travel, lodging and meals. (Details to be provided.)

The CyberPowder staff and POWDER platform staff will be available during this week to support Fellows with their exploration.

At the end of the week CyberPowder Fellows will present their work to the CyberPowder cohort.