Education

Our academic fellowship funding supports recipient universities’ efforts to help early-career researchers in the fields of AI and Computer Science to pursue postdoctoral study, and build the experiences and research profile that will enable them to progress to full academic or other research leadership roles in future.

Alongside financial support from their university, these fellowships provide opportunities for fellows to be mentored by senior Google DeepMind researchers. Google DeepMind does not direct their research and fellows are free to pursue any research direction they wish.

Fellowships are open to early-career researchers who have completed a PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Statistics, or another relevant field by the time they start their postdoc. We particularly encourage candidates who identify as Black to apply due to this group being currently underrepresented in AI research.

So far, seven universities in the UK have launched fellowship programs. For details, refer to the relevant university websites:

2022/23 Academic Fellows:

• Queen Mary University of London - Fellow in Machine Learning
• University of Cambridge - Fellow in Computer Science
• University College London - Fellow in Sustainable Artificial Intelligence

2023/24 Academic Fellows:

• University of Birmingham
• Imperial College London
• University of Edinburgh

2024/25 Academic Fellows will be announced at the following universities:

• University of Oxford
• University College London (UCL) - applications will open later in 2024

Google DeepMind has given scholarship funding to universities since 2017 to help support their efforts to bring a wider range of experiences to the fields of AI and Computer Science. The scholarships funding allows recipient universities to provide financial support to students from underrepresented groups seeking to study graduate courses relating to AI and adjacent fields. Scholars are also offered support from a Google DeepMind mentor, and have opportunities to attend leading AI academic conferences and Google DeepMind events.

Learn more about the scholarships

We have partnered with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) to create a pan-African ‘AI for Science’ Masters program. The program gives talented students from across the region a chance to pursue advanced studies at AIMS South Africa and connect with Google DeepMind researchers and engineers for support.

The program curriculum explores how AI can be used to better understand the world around us and accelerate progress on some of today’s most fundamental and fascinating scientific challenges. It has been developed by AIMS, with input from Google DeepMind and four world-leading local scientific groups:

• Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO) and its South African partner, the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) an international effort to build the world's largest radio telescope;‍
• Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) a leading epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response institute;‍
• South African Centre for Epidemiological Modeling and Analysis (SACEMA), Department of Science and Innovation - National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence with a mission to improve health in Africa through epidemiological modeling and analysis.

Our funding will help AIMS provide full scholarships, equipment and compute, with the goal of supporting 160 African students by July 2027.

Applications and more information

We have provided funding to six universities since 2023 to help them build programs that provide undergraduate students in the UK and US with opportunities to gain summer research experience in AI and adjacent fields. As part of these Research Ready programs, universities offer workshops and skills days to students and provide them with financial support and accommodation for the duration of their research placements.

Each university managed its own program, award processes and recruitment timelines. For further information, please consult the relevant university websites.

• University of Birmingham
• University of Cambridge
• Imperial College London
• New York University
• University of Oxford
• Queen Mary University of London

In 2025, the Royal Academy of Engineering, Google DeepMind and The Hg Foundation will fund Research Ready placements to help widen participation in AI research. For more information visit the Royal Academy of Engineering website.

We work with a number of education charities and social enterprises to support AI and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education in the UK and beyond.

In 2022, we partnered with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to co-create Experience AI, a learning programme with lesson plans, slide decks, videos and more, to help address the gaps in AI education and support teachers in engaging secondary school students in the subject of AI. Created to be culturally relevant and accessible to all students aged 11-14, the resources are designed to help young people to better understand AI and the role it will play in their future.

Through partnering with Chess in Schools and Communities, we are piloting the delivery of a bespoke 30-week course in AI and chess at UCL Academy that aims to increase the number and diversity of students pursuing AI-related subjects in higher education.

We have also teamed up with STEM Learning to support the creation and delivery of eight ENTHUSE partnerships across the UK. STEM learning brings schools and colleges together to develop a programme that aims to raise aspiration and achievement in STEM subjects among young people. Each project is made up of a group of 6-10 schools and colleges, providing access to free resources, immersion in industry or university through teacher placements, STEM Ambassadors, and enrichment activities.

Many of our team hold university professorships and teach or supervise students at Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, Imperial, and elsewhere. We also partner with many world-leading academic institutions to extend research and teaching capacity. So far, we’ve established academic chairs in machine learning at the University of Alberta, University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and University College London.

We believe that everyone should feel able to participate in AI and science, and we are committed to supporting organizations that create community and advance diversity within these sectors. Our team members regularly dedicate their time and expertise to advancing discussions about AI in their communities and we are proud partners of the Anita Borg Foundation, Black in AI, Women in Machine Learning, and more.

We are also founding partners of the Deep Learning Indaba, the Eastern European Machine Learning Summer School, and the AI4Good Summer Lab.

‍South Africa

• Stellenbosch University - Masters
• The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) - Masters
• University of Witwatersrand - Masters‍

Uganda

• Makerere University - Masters

Bulgaria

• Sofia University (St. Kliment Ohridski) - Masters
• Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) - PhD

‍France

• École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay - Masters

‍Greece

• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki - Masters

‍Poland

• University of Warsaw - Masters

‍Romania

• Technical University of Cluj-Napoca - Masters

‍United Kingdom

• University of Birmingham - Masters
• University of Cambridge - Masters
• University of Cambridge - PhD
• Imperial College London - Masters (Computing and AI)
• University of Oxford - Masters
• University of Oxford - PhD
• Queen Mary University of London - Masters
• University College London - Masters (Neuroscience)
• University College London - Masters (Computer Science)
• University of Edinburgh - Masters

‍Turkey

• Istanbul Technical University - Masters

Canada

• McGill University - Masters
• University of Alberta - Masters
• University of Toronto - Masters

United States

• New York University - Masters
• University of California, Los Angeles - Masters
• University of California, San Diego - Masters

‍Brazil

• UNICAMP Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Masters

‍Colombia

• Universidad de Los Andes - Masters

Google DeepMind-funded scholarships have been offered internationally, including by universities in Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, France, Greece, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Turkey, Uganda, the UK, and the USA. For more information, visit university websites.

The universities offering these scholarships in a given year aim to support talented students from groups currently underrepresented in AI by removing barriers to access as they progress from undergraduate to postgraduate study.

Scholarships are available to eligible offer holders on specific graduate courses at universities receiving Google DeepMind scholarship funding. Each university runs its own application and recruitment process both for their Google DeepMind-funded scholarships and relevant graduate courses, so consult university websites for details on the required qualifications to apply to these courses and, where relevant, any separate application process for the scholarships.

To find out eligibility for the scholarships, we recommend consulting university websites for more details, as this can vary from university to university.

Finally, as the program is international, at any point in the year some university deadlines will have already closed for intake, whereas others will not yet be open - and not all universities participate in every year. Please check details carefully and watch for announcements.

Scholars are generally supported financially for the duration of their degree from the year they begin their studies. These scholarships aim to support students from their point of entry into a graduate program through graduation, rather than partway through an existing course.

These scholarships support graduate study in AI and related fields, including some cross-disciplinary courses. Check university websites for details.

All of the universities offer Masters-level funding for specific courses. Some also offer a limited number of PhD scholarships in AI and related fields. Check participating universities' websites for details.

The universities offering scholarships aim to ensure that scholars receive full financial support (tuition, stipend or living costs, and a grant for necessary equipment and attendance at an academic conference). Scholars are generally supported financially for the duration of their study, from the year they join their course until graduation.

In a few cases, where graduate funding is already available through the university or department, Google DeepMind-funded scholarships serve to enhance the existing funding, allowing universities to support the educational experience and giving the scholar the opportunity to focus more fully on their studies.

Google DeepMind mentoring is focused on personal development and growth. Scholars can choose to be matched with a personal Google DeepMind mentor, who will support them in building their confidence and pursuing their goals for up to one academic year.

Mentors are not supervisors or academic advisors, and don’t provide support with research topics or directions, but aim to help the mentee to build skills that will help them succeed in their graduate course and beyond.

Each university offering Google DeepMind-funded scholarships manages its own application process and recruitment timelines, so further information, such as eligibility or relevant course deadlines, should be explored via university websites. Eligible scholarship recipients are selected from the individual university’s offer-holder pool for qualifying courses; Google DeepMind does not select scholarship recipients.