The Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD, as well as connect them to a Google Research Mentor.
Nurturing and maintaining strong relations with the academic community is a top priority at Google. The Google PhD Fellowship Program was created to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields. Fellowships support promising PhD candidates of all backgrounds who seek to influence the future of technology.
Google’s mission is to foster inclusive research communities and encourages people of diverse backgrounds to apply. They currently offer Fellowships in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, East Asia, Europe, India, the United States and Canada.
Google Africa PhD Fellowship Program Fields of Interest.
Google PhD Fellowship students are a select group recognized by Google researchers and their institutions as some of the most promising young academics in the world. The Fellowships are awarded to students who represent the future of research in the following fields:
- Algorithms, Optimizations and Markets
- Computational Neuroscience
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Machine Learning
- Machine Perception, Speech Technology and Computer Vision
- Mobile Computing
- Natural Language Processing (including Information Retrieval and Extraction)
- Privacy and Security
- Programming Languages and Software Engineering
- Quantum Computing
- Structured Data and Database Management
- Systems and Networking
Eligibility Criteria
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- Open to full-time graduate students pursuing a PhD and enrolled in an African institution.
- Early-stage PhD students enrolled one year or less.
- Applicants who are currently in their first year of a part-time PhD program and transferring to full-time positions.
- Current undergraduate or masters students and professionals may apply. The Google Fellowship award shall be contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program of an African university in Computer Science or related fields within the calendar year of the fellowship, or the award shall be forfeited.
- Applicants enrolled in an undergraduate or masters program must be current, full-time students at an African university.
- Professionals must be employed/affiliated with an organization registered in Africa, and receipt of the award is contingent on them joining a full-time PhD program at an African university within the calendar year of the award.
- Grant of the Google Fellowship does not mean admission to the PhD program of a university. The awardee must also complete the PhD admission process of the respective institute/university where he/she wishes to register for a PhD.
- Grant of the Google Fellowship will be subject to the rules and guidelines applicable in the institute/university where the awardee registers for the PhD program.
- Open to full-time graduate students pursuing a PhD and enrolled in an African institution.
- Students must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
- Google employees, and their spouses, children, and members of their household are not eligible.
- Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible.
Google PhD Fellowship Program Benefits.
- Up to 3 year Fellowship
- USD $30K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
- Google Research Mentor
Google PhD Fellowship Program Evaluation Criteria.
- Applications are evaluated on the strength of the research proposal, research impact, student academic achievements, and leadership potential.
- Research proposals are evaluated for innovative concepts that are relevant to Google’s research areas, as well as aspects of robustness and potential impact to the field.
- Proposals should include the direction and any plans of where your work is going in addition to a comprehensive description of the research you are pursuing.
Method of Application
You’ll need the following documents in order to complete an application (in English only):
- Student applicant’s resume with links to website and publications (if available)
- Short (1-page) resume of the student’s PhD program advisor
- Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from first year/semester of Bachelor’s degree to date
- Research proposal (maximum 8 pages)
- 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant’s work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
- Applicant’s essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests
Please see the FAQ for more information
