Searching the Radio Sky: Present and Future Experiments in Technosignature Science

More than six decades after the first experimental searches began, humanity continues to develop new strategies for discovering life beyond Earth — seeking to understand our place in the cosmos and to answer one of the most profound scientific questions: Are we alone?

Today, this pursuit extends far beyond simply pointing a radio telescope at the sky. It encompasses the design of advanced digital backends, the implementation of rapid data-analysis algorithms, and the integration of cutting-edge hardware capable of processing massive data streams in real time. Modern SETI systems now rely on high-speed Ethernet packet architectures, real-time calibration frameworks, and open-source search algorithms that enable reproducible and scalable experimentation.

Through the collaborative efforts of the Breakthrough Listen program and the SETI Institute, our search has evolved from searching for narrowband signals over limited frequency ranges to expansive surveys covering up to 50 GHz, capable of identifying both broadband and modulated signals. With some experiments producing over 50 TB of data each week, autonomous post-processing pipelines have become essential for data triage, candidate verification, and continuous discovery.

In this talk, I will present a modern view of the search for technosignatures and describe how contemporary hardware, distributed computing, and intelligent algorithms are reshaping the future of SETI.