GSoC 2027 - FAQ

[IAlibay]

Please read the following FAQs before posting your intention to join / participate in GSoC 2026.

I want to participate in GSoC 2027

GSoC 2027 has to be announced so we do not know if the program will happen next year. If GSoC 2027 does happen, we do not yet know if MDAnalysis will apply as a participating organization. As such, at this moment in time, we kindly request that you refrain from asking for guidance towards GSoC 2027.

Even after making a decision to apply, we won't know if we're going to be accepted as an organisation until ~ February - April 2027. There is always a chance that we won't be able to participate in the coming year.

We also want to point out that generally (but not always) MDAnalysis GSoC projects tend to require some previous knowledge / experience with molecular simulations.

Can I start working on some issues now ahead of a GSoC 2026 announcement?

MDAnalysis is an open source project, and we always welcome contributions from the community. If you wish to tackle some issues now, you are welcome to do so. However, please note that early participation will not provide you an advantage over other applicants who will submit code contributions after (and if) we are announced as participating in GSoC 2027.

We also note that we will likely change the application process, especially adding new rules around the use of LLMs. Should your early contributions not match our new process / rules, they will not be counted towards your application.

On the use of LLMs

MDAnalysis is still developing its AI policy and this section may change in the near future. In all cases, we ask you to always declare any use of AI-assistance when making contributions to MDAnalysis. If we suspect you to be using such tools, GSoC mentors and/or MDAnalysis core developers may ask you if you are, please don’t be offended, it’s just getting hard to tell who is or isn’t using LLMs!

GSoC is a learning experience, hence we currently take the stance that MDAnalysis GSoC applicants / contributors should not use LLMs or other AI-powered assistance where possible. Contributions that use such tools may either be ignored or count negatively towards your GSoC application.

These rules include not only code contributions but also other written communications (e.g. issues, responses to PR comments, discussion items). We understand that there are often language barriers when it comes to open source and that LLMs can be useful in this space. However, effective communication between contributors and mentors is key to a successful GSoC project, and this must be possible without passing through an LLM. As such, we ask you to also not use LLMs for writing comments / issues / sending messages for GSoC related tasks.