Propose PQCA mentorships for Summer 2026

[dstebila]

The PQCA is preparing for mentorships in summer 2026.

Here is information about the timeline and here is the form to propose a mentorship project. Proposals are due by March 13, 2026.

We can use this issue to brainstorm some ideas.

I will ask Basil to talk about his experience as a mentor at an upcoming TSC meeting.

[dstebila]

Idea: FN-DSA (if a NIST draft comes out)

[dstebila]

Idea: HQC (if a NIST draft comes out)

[dstebila]

Idea: Signature on-ramps -- mentorships within submission teams

[dstebila]

Idea: Constant-time tooling, part 2; building on last fall's mentorship and adding new things like common constant time functions in liboqs

[bhess]

The call for mentorship proposals has been extended to April 17

[itzmeanjan]

Would adding support for binsec (github.com/binsec/binsec) based ct-analysis make sense? I'd be interested, if that adds value.

[itzmeanjan]

Another idea, fuzzing support. Is there any work done already?

[baentsch]

Another idea, fuzzing support. Is there any work done already?

Yes; you may want to check out open-quantum-safe/liboqs#2359 and related issues/PRs.

[baentsch]

Would adding support for binsec (github.com/binsec/binsec) based ct-analysis make sense? I'd be interested, if that adds value.

Hmm -- how would that fit into the project? OQS intentionally (b/o support effort) shuns away from making available binaries (that then could be tested with this toolset (if I get it right).

[itzmeanjan]

For checking CT with binsec, one needs a binary, which is right, but it needs to be instrumented. It helps with the case, when one can build that instrumented binary in different compiler opt. settings and inspect if the compiler emitted any of the known non-CT instructions.