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PQCA Mentorship Program
- Program Overview
- Benefits for Mentees
- Benefits for Mentors
- 2026 Summer Mentorship Timeline
- 2026 Summer Program Schedule
- Mentee Stipend
- Past Mentorships
- Questions
The PQCA Mentorship Program offers a structured, remote learning opportunity for aspiring developers, researchers, and contributors in the decentralized tech space. Participants are matched with experienced mentors — including PQCA project maintainers, developers, and community leaders — to complete a project with a defined scope and measurable outcomes.
Mentors and mentees collaborate remotely, with regular evaluations and feedback provided throughout the program. Mentees also have opportunities to showcase their work through blogs, community meetups, regional events, or even global conferences.
This program plays a key role in onboarding new talent, supporting PQCA projects, and strengthening the overall health and sustainability of our open source community.
- Gain hands-on experience contributing to real-world open source projects
- Learn industry-standard infrastructure, tooling, and best practices
- Make meaningful contributions through code, documentation, or research
- Work closely with experienced open source professionals
- Expand your professional network within the PQCA and broader open source community
- Showcase your work and raise your profile through presentations, blogs, and events
- Share your expertise and passion for open source development
- Guide and support new contributors in making productive contributions
- Get additional help addressing project needs in development, research, or documentation
- Strengthen project sustainability by onboarding and training new talent
- What Makes a Good Mentor
- Mentoring Best Practices
- Mentor Getting Started Guide
- Submit a Mentorship Project Proposal
- February 2 - April 17: Community members submit mentorship project proposals
- April 20 - April 24: Mentorship project proposal review by Technical Advisory Council (mentors or proposal submitters may be asked to clarify or address questions raised by the TAC)
- March 30 - May 22: Mentee application period on LFX Mentorship
- May 25 - June 12: Mentee application review and applicant interview
- June 15 - 19: Selected mentee notification
| Phase | Dates | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Onboarding with Mentor | June 22 - 26 | Review materials & develop project plan |
| Project Working Period | June 29 – September 18 | ~30 hours/week expected |
| Midterm Evaluation | August 3 - 7 | Mentors to submit evaluations |
| Final Evaluation | September 14 - 18 | Mentors to submit evaluations |
| Blog Post Submission | September 21 - October 2 | We ask that all mentees showcase their contributions through a blog post on the PQCA website at the end of the mentorship. |
Note: Program dates are subject to change.
Eligible mentees may receive a stipend, calculated using a tiered structure based on their country of residence during the program. Stipends are paid in two installments:
- Midterm Payment – Provided satisfactory progress is shown during evaluations
- Final Payment – Upon successful project completion, as confirmed by mentors and program staff
2025 Fall Mentorship Projects:
- Contributing to the first stable release of mldsa-native - Read Mentee Blog Post
- Enhancing Constant-Time Analysis Tooling in liboqs
For any questions about the program, contact us at mentorship@pqca.org.