Google PhD Fellowship Program 2021 – Applications Invited
About the Google PhD Fellowship Program 2021:
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. We currently offer Fellowships in Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, India, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the United States.
How to apply
The details of each Fellowship vary by region. Please see our FAQ for eligibility requirements and application instructions.
Africa, India, and Southeast Asia
Students may apply directly during the application period.
Applications are open to university students in computer science (or an adjacent field). Please see our FAQ for more information.
Africa
Applications are now open. Submit by 11:59:59pm UTC−12:00 April 21, 2021.
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
- Health Research
- 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
What does the Google PhD Fellowship include?
Students receive named Fellowships which include a monetary award. The funds are given directly to the university to be distributed to cover the student’s expenses and stipend as appropriate. The funds are given as an unrestricted gift, and it is Google’s policy not to pay for overhead on unrestricted gifts. In addition, the student will be matched with a Google Research Mentor who we hope will become a valuable resource to the student. There is no employee relationship between the student and Google as a result of receiving the fellowship. Fellowship recipients are not subject to intellectual property restrictions unless they complete an internship at Google. Fellowship recipients serving an internship are subject to the same intellectual property and other contractual obligations as any other Google intern. If a Fellowship student is interested, an internship at Google is encouraged, but not guaranteed or required.
Africa
- Up to 3 year Fellowship
- US $30K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
- Google Research Mentor
Is my university eligible for the PhD Fellowship Program?
Africa, India, and Southeast Asia:Â applications are open to students in computer science (or an adjacent field) from any African or Indian university, or from any university in an eligible Southeast Asian country (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam).
What are the eligibility requirements for students?
Universities should only nominate students that meet the following requirements:
- Full-time graduate students pursuing a PhD and enrolled in an institution in one of the regions listed above.
- Completed graduate coursework by the Fall of the award year, when the Fellowship begins.
- 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.
Direct applicant students in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia
- Full-time graduate students pursuing a PhD and enrolled in an African, Indian or Southeast Asian* institution.
- Undergraduate or Master’s students and professionals may apply.
- Undergraduate and Master’s student applicants must be currently enrolled, full-time students at an African, Indian, or Southeast Asian university.
- Professionals must be employed/affiliated with an organization registered in Africa, India, or Southeast Asia.
- For these applicants, the Fellowship award shall be contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program of an African, Indian, or Southeast Asian university in computer science (or an adjacent field) within the calendar year of the Fellowship award, or the award shall be forfeited.
- Grant of the 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 they wish to register for a PhD.
- Grant of the Fellowship will be subject to the rules and guidelines applicable in the institute/university where the awardee registers for the PhD program.
- 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.
*Countries eligible for the PhD Fellowship in Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.
What should be included in an application?
Africa, India, and Southeast Asia
Students will 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)
- Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from first year/semester of Bachelor’s degree to date
- Research proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
- 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant’s work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
- Africa only:
- Short (one-page) resume of the student’s PhD program advisor
- Applicant’s essay response (350-word limit) to: What impact would receiving this scholarship have on your education? Describe any circumstances affecting your need for a scholarship and what educational goals this scholarship will enable you to accomplish.
How do I apply for the PhD Fellowship Program?
Check the FAQ for details on eligibility and application requirements in your region before applying. Submission forms are available on the main Google PhD Fellowship Program page when the application period begins.
Africa, India, and Southeast Asia: students may apply directly during a region’s application period.
How many students may each university nominate?
Africa, India, and Southeast Asia:Â applications are open directly to students with no limit to the number of students that can apply from a university.
Who should submit the applications?
Africa, India, and Southeast Asia:Â students may apply directly during the application period.
How are applications evaluated?
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.
In the United States, Canada, and Europe, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.
Research should align with Google AI Principles.
Incomplete proposals will not be considered.
What language should the application be in?
All documents should be submitted in English.
Can students apply directly for a Fellowship?
Students must be nominated by an eligible university in order to be considered, except in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia where students may apply directly.
How are Google PhD Fellowships given?
Any monetary awards will be paid directly to the Fellow’s university for distribution. No overhead should be assessed against them.
What are the intellectual property implications of a Google PhD Fellowship?
The funds are given as an unrestricted gift. Fellowship recipients are not subject to intellectual property restrictions unless they complete an internship at Google. If that is the case, they are subject to the same intellectual property restrictions as any other Google intern.
Will the Fellowship recipients become employees of Google?
No, there will not be any employee relationship (except as an intern) between Fellowship recipients and Google.
Can Fellowship recipients also be considered for the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship or the Google Scholarship for Students with Disabilities?
Yes, Fellowship recipients are eligible for these scholarships. For more information, please see the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship or the Google Europe Scholarship for Students with Disabilities.
After award notification, when do the Google PhD Fellowships begin?
After Google PhD Fellowship recipients are notified, the Fellowship is effective starting the following school year.
What are the application time periods in each region?
Refer to the main Google PhD Fellowship Program page for each region’s current application period status.
A global awards announcement will be made in September on the Google Research Blog publicly announcing all award recipients.
How can I ask additional questions?
If your question has not been answered by a FAQ, email:
Africa:Â [email protected]
Click here to Submit application (Africa)
