Google PhD Fellowship Program - 50000 USD

About the program
This highly competitive program offers both early and late-stage PhD fellowships to recognize and encourage graduate students doing work in Computer Science and related fields.
The early-stage PhD Fellowship (enrolment date on or after Jan 2020) offers support for a maximum period of four years (covering stipend, a contingency grant for expenses like books and material, and a travel grant for attending conferences).
New this year: Late-stage PhD Fellowships will support current students (enrolled before Jan 2020) for the period of a year through providing support with stipend, contingencies, and travel expenses for the year.

Each fellowship recipient will be assigned a Google Research Mentor over the duration of the fellowship. Engagement with the Google Research Mentor will include discussions on research direction, research progress updates and knowledge sharing.
Internship opportunities are frequently available at Google. Based on mutual interest between the PhD fellow and the Google Research Mentor, the fellow may pursue an internship at Google and will undergo the internship interview process. Please note that awarding of the PhD fellowship does not guarantee an internship at Google.

Eligibility Criteria:
• Students must remain enrolled in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
• Google employees and family members of Google employees are not eligible
• Students who are already receiving another industry fellowship are not eligible.

For early-stage/incoming PhD students:
• If the applicant is not a Ph.D student enrolled on or after Jan 2020, student applicants must be current full-time undergraduate or Master's students enrolled at an Indian University. Professionals must be employed/affiliated with an organization registered in India
• The Google Fellowship award will be contingent on the awardee registering for the full-time PhD program at an Indian university, in Computer Science or related areas, within the calendar year 2021, or the award shall be forfeited
• 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 they wish to register for their PhD. Granting 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.

For late-stage PhD students:
• Applicants must have enrolled in a full-time PhD program at an Indian university before January 2020
• Applicants must be pursuing a PhD in Computer Science or related areas.

The best and the brightest
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

Frequently asked questions

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.
Early-stage PhD students
• Up to 4 year Fellowship
• US $50K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor
Late-stage PhD students
• 1 year Fellowship
• US $10K to recognise research contributions, cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor

Is my university eligible for the PhD Fellowship Program?
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?
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.

What should be included in an application?
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)

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.
students may apply directly during a region’s application period.
How many students may each university nominate?
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?
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:
India: research-programs-in@google.com

Applications are now open. Along with fellowships for early-stage PhD students, we are introducing a one-year fellowship for late-stage PhD students. Submit by 11:59:59pm UTC−12:00 April 28, 2021.