Networking Session

Event Details

PETS 2026 will include a one-hour Networking Session. Think of this session as a human peering exchange point: a place where attendees can establish new connections and strengthen existing ones. Community Connectors will help attendees find others with shared interests, complementary experiences, or knowledge they are seeking.

🗓️ When:
July 22, 2026
15:30 – 16:30

📌 Where:
[ROOM: TBD]

👥 Who:
All registered PETS 2026 attendees are welcome. Whether you are attending PETS for the first time, looking to expand your network, interested in helping others make connections, or simply hoping to meet a few new people, this session is for you.

Registration:
Networking Session Registration Form

We are asking you to indicate your intention to participate and the role of your participation on this short registration form to help conference organizers plan ahead for the session (but you are welcome to attend even if you don't sign up). Your email will be used to send further information about the session.

📣 Action Required: Community Connectors Needed

We are currently looking for volunteers to serve as Community Connectors for the PETS 2026 Networking Session. Community Connectors play a key role in helping attendees feel welcome, facilitating introductions, and helping new community members find meaningful connections.

To ensure that we can run the session effectively, we are hoping to recruit Connectors from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, career stages, and areas of expertise. Whether your experience comes from academia, industry, government, non-profits, entrepreneurship, or community organizing, your perspective can help make the event more welcoming and useful for attendees.

The most important qualification is not seniority or status, it's being a friendly face who is willing to welcome others and help start conversations. If you enjoy meeting new people, making introductions, and helping others feel included, we'd love to have you participate!

Interested in helping? Please indicate your interest when completing the registration form.

Ways to Participate

There are several ways to participate in the Networking Session. You may sign up as a Regular Attendee, a Peer, a Community Connector.

😎 Regular Attendees

Regular Attendees are participants who would like help meeting others in the PETS community. You do not need to be attending PETS for the very first time to sign up this way—this role is for anyone who would appreciate support making connections.

You may wish to sign up as a Regular Attendee if:

• You are attending PETS for the first time.
• You are an early-career researcher or student.
• You are new to the privacy and security community.
• You would like to meet others with shared research or professional interests.
• You are hoping to learn more about career paths, research areas, or ways to get involved in the PETS community.

🌐 Peer

Peers are attendees who are already somewhat connected in the PETS, privacy, security, or related research communities and are willing to meet newer attendees during the session.

You do not need to be a senior researcher or long-time PETS attendee to be a Peer. You simply need to be open to conversation, willing to share your experiences, and comfortable being introduced to attendees who may have questions related to your interests, background, or community involvement.

You may wish to sign up as a Community Guide if:

• You have attended PETS or related conferences before.
• You know people in the PETS, privacy, or security research communities.
• You are open to speaking with new attendees about your work or experiences.
• You would be happy to help others find their footing in the community.
• You may be able to introduce attendees to others with shared interests.

🔗 Community Connectors

Community Connectors help make the session work. Their role is to welcome attendees as they arrive, learn what kinds of connections people are hoping to make, and help facilitate introductions throughout the room.

Community Connectors might notice that a Regular Attendee is interested in privacy work in government, usable privacy, industry research, conference service, or another topic, and then introduce them to a Peer or another attendee with relevant experience.

For example:

I see you are interested in learning more about privacy work in government. I would love to introduce you to someone who has experience in that area.

If you sign up as a Community Connector, we also encourage you to invite people in your own network to attend the session as Peers. The session will be most successful if there are plenty of friendly, connected attendees in the room who are open to meeting newcomers and helping them find their place in the community.

You may wish to sign up as a Community Connector if:

• You enjoy welcoming new people into the community.
• You are comfortable starting conversations and making introductions.
• You know several attendees who might be willing to serve as Community Guides.
• You would like to help create a friendly, inclusive, and low-pressure networking environment.

Registration

All registered PETS 2026 attendees are invited to participate. Please complete the registration form.

If you have questions about the session please contact the session coordinator, Autumn Toney.

How the Session Works

🤝 Arrive and Create Your Peering Request

When you arrive, you will receive a Peering Request: a badge card where you can share a bit about yourself, what kinds of conversations you are hoping to have, and what kinds of connections you are looking to make.

All participants (Regular Attendees, Peers, and Community Connectors) will be invited to create a Peering Request.

Your Peering Request might include:

• Topics you would like to learn more about
• Research areas you are interested in
• Career paths you would like to explore
• People, groups, or communities you would like to connect with
• Topics you enjoy talking about
• Experiences you are happy to share with others

Examples of Peering Requests

Looking to connect about:

• “Interested in privacy in government”
• “Looking for collaborators in usable privacy”
• “First-time PETS attendee”
• “Considering industry research”
• “Want to learn about serving on conference committees”

Happy to chat about:

• “Academic job search”
• “Industry research careers”
• “Privacy policy and government work”
• “Publishing at PETS”
• “Conference organizing”
• “Building research collaborations”
• “Starting a PhD”

The goal of the Peering Request is to make it easier for attendees to discover shared interests and for Community Connectors to facilitate introductions. These badge cards act as conversation starters and help everyone find meaningful connections more quickly.

🔗 Make Connections

Rather than assigning attendees to fixed groups, the session is designed to be flexible and conversational. Community Connectors will help introduce attendees to established community members, researchers with shared interests, potential collaborators, and others who may be valuable connections.

You are welcome to join conversations, move between groups, ask questions, or simply start by meeting one or two new people.

Nervous About Networking? A Few Words of Encouragement

It's normal to feel nervous; many of us have walked into a conference reception, looked around the room, and wondered whether everyone else already knows each other. The truth is that many attendees (students, early-career researchers, and even long-time community members) feel the same way.

This session is designed specifically to make it easier to meet people and start conversations. You do not need to arrive knowing anyone, having a polished elevator pitch, or being “good at networking.”

Community Connectors will be there to help make introductions and connect you with others who share your interests.

💡 Conversation Starters

Not sure how to begin a conversation? Here are a few easy openers:

• “What research or projects are you working on right now?”
• “Have you been to PETS before?”
• “What brought you to PETS this year?”
• “How did you get interested in privacy and security research?”
• “What sessions have you enjoyed so far?”
• “How long have you been at your institution or company?”
• “What are you most excited about in your current work?”

Remember: most people enjoy talking about their work, interests, and experiences. Asking thoughtful questions is often all it takes to start a great conversation.

If you are feeling nervous, you can simply say so:

• “This is actually my first networking event.”
• “I do not usually come to events like this, but I wanted to give it a try.”

You will likely discover that many people can relate.