Building cybersecurity into the nation’s energy sector through education and collaboration with Industry. The opportunity to apply closes August 22.
Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
July 30, 2025
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As threats to energy infrastructure evolve and grow more sophisticated, cybersecurity professionals must also evolve and strengthen their abilities to meet the challenges of the cyber threat landscape. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invites you to join the front lines of national cyber defense through its Operational Technology (OT) Defender Fellowship 2026 Cohort. This elite program builds a network of cyber defenders dedicated to securing critical energy infrastructure to continuously power America.
DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) launched the OT Defender Fellowship in 2020 in collaboration with DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and with support from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ (FDD) Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI). Fellows in this selective year-long education program will deepen their understanding of the OT threat landscape while gaining the tools and strategies necessary to combat cyber criminals and nation state actors targeting U.S. energy infrastructure. The fellowship features:
- In-person sessions throughout the year, including a scenario-driven capstone exercise.
- Networking opportunities with peers and cyber experts in U.S. government departments and agencies, including:
- DOE
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Office of the National Cyber Director
- National Security Agency
- Transportation Security Administration
- U.S. Secret Service
- Other Federal agencies and congressional experts
- In-depth learning about the techniques, tools, and tactics the U.S. government is using to counter threats, mitigate vulnerabilities, and reduce risk to our critical infrastructure.
- Knowledge and skills applicable to specific professional roles in the energy sector.
The OT Defender Fellowship is open to middle- and senior-level professionals at asset owner-operators in the U.S. energy sector, including electricity, oil, and natural gas energy companies. The fellowship is typically limited to 15 participants.
To learn more about the program or to apply, visit https://otdefender.inl.gov/.
The application deadline is August 22, 2025.