Call for nominations: Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) Chair

IAB Executive Administrative Manager <execd@iab.org> Tue, 14 July 2026 16:10 UTC

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From: IAB Executive Administrative Manager <execd@iab.org>
To: IETF Announcement List <ietf-announce@ietf.org>
Subject: Call for nominations: Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) Chair
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Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:10:51 -0700
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Please forward to all interested parties.

As part of its oversight responsibility for the Internet Research Task
Force (IRTF), the IAB is responsible for selecting the IRTF Chair.

The IAB is currently soliciting nominations for the IRTF Chair, for a
term beginning at IETF 128 in March 2027 and ending at IETF 134 in 
March 2029. Dirk Kutscher is the incumbent, and he has indicated that 
he is interested in serving another term.

The IRTF Chair position is split between two areas of responsibility:
day to day administrative coordination of the IRSG, and strategic 
vision for the future of the IRTF. A description of the IRTF Chair 
role can be found in RFC 7827, "The Role of the IRTF Chair" [1]. An 
outline of the IRTF Chair tasks is maintained in the IAB wiki [2].

The time commitment for the IRTF Chair averages about 25% of the time 
in normal work weeks, and full-time for about 6 weeks a year during the
Applied Networking Research Workshop, the review period for the Applied
Networking Research Prize, the IETF meetings, and IAB retreats.

## Timeline

2026-07-14: Open of nominations period
2026-09-08: Close of nomination period
2026-10-05: Deadline for community input on candidates
2026-10-21: IAB selection of incoming IRTF Chair announced to the 
            community
2027-03-08: IRTF Chair term begins (IETF 128)

## Nominations

Nominations (including self-nominations) should be sent to iab-
chair@iab.org with a copy to execd@iab.org by 23:59 UTC on 2026-09-08. 
Please include e-mail contact details with the nomination.

## Nomination Details

Nominees are asked to provide to the IAB:

1. Confirmation of their willingness to be considered within this
   process.

2. Full name and contact information.

3. A confirmation of willingness and ability to devote the level of 
   time required to the activities associated with the position of IRTF 
   Chair.

4. A brief biography outlining experience and background.

5. A statement of interests, concerns about the IRTF,
   goals as Chair and motivation to serve as IRTF Chair.

6. Any further information that is relevant to the work of the IRTF
   in considering your nomination.

## Care of Personal Information

The following procedures will be used by the IAB in managing this
process:

The candidate's name will be published, with all other candidate names, 
at the close of the nominations period.

Except as noted above, all information provided to the IAB during this 
process will be kept confidential to the IAB.

[1] https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7827
[2] https://wiki.ietf.org/group/iab/irtf-chair-activities

Call for nominations: Internet Research Task Forc… IAB Executive Administrative Manager