Home | The Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Faculty Fellowship Programme at Oxford

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About the Fellowship

The Schmidt AI in Science Faculty Fellowship Programme, in collaboration with the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) and the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD) proudly introduces our fellowship programme for early career faculty. This initiative is funded by Schmidt Sciences and seeks to use artificial intelligence (AI) to advance scientific progress.

This new programme will fund 18 faculty research fellows over the next five years, starting in 2025. Fellows will be matched with Oxford faculty mentors, within the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division. Fellows will be associated with one of our four college partners: Somerville College, Reuben College, Linacre College, and Mansfield College.

In 2025, the programme will recruit 6 Faculty Research Fellows, 3 from India and 3 from Africa.

Programme overview

The fellowship focuses on three critical domains:

Climate change, environment, and biodiversity
Food and water security
STEM applications in biomedical research

We welcome applications from Assistant and Associate Professors (or equivalent level positions) in Africa and India who envision transformative applications of AI within these fields, regardless of their current expertise in artificial intelligence.

This programme will not support core AI research in computer science, statistics or mathematical sciences; rather, it will provide funding for fellows developing and applying AI techniques to research in engineering, and the natural and mathematical sciences within these three focus areas.   

The primary criterion will be that the underpinning applied science is internationally leading, with the application of AI/ML techniques appropriate and likely to lead to a step-change in the application domain.  

Applicants will need to submit a research proposal for a programme of work within the three domains with a focus on the application of AI to accelerate scientific progress in that field.

Please note that the Fellowship programme does not fund those applying AI within the medical sciences.

A unique research opportunity

This innovative programme offers unprecedented flexibility, allowing fellows to maintain their positions at their home institutions in Africa and India, while accessing Oxford’s world-class research ecosystem. Through the programme, the fellows will receive:

Comprehensive training in cutting-edge AI methodologies
Personalised mentorship from Oxford’s leading researchers
Access to advanced computational resources and AI tools
Opportunities for high-impact publications and international collaborations
Integration into Oxford’s vibrant research community

Our programme provides individualised training to each Fellow, through graduate-level courses and one-on-one tuition across AI and ML to allow each fellow to develop their knowledge of AI and software tools as their research programme unfolds.  

Oxford also provides extensive training and support from professional research software engineers (RSEs) with expertise in ML and AI to allow fellows to implement both existing methods and any new methods that they develop in a robust, sustainable, and reusable manner. From the onset of the project, RSEs provide training in software engineering best practices, HPC and cloud computing resources, and collaborative tools including version control, enabling fellows to work individually or as a team to develop reproducible and reliable software. The aim is to provide fellows with a set of transferable software engineering skills and a significant advantage in their future careers.  

Programme structure

Fellows will engage in a carefully curated programme that combines technical training, research development, and professional growth opportunities. Through close collaboration with Oxford’s distinguished faculty, fellows will develop the expertise needed to lead AI-driven innovation in their respective fields. The programme will adopt a unique "1+1+1" year structure, recognising the value of providing holistic support for collaboration both in Oxford and in their home institutions. Fellows will be supported by Oxford throughout the programme.

Year 1: Fellows will remain at home institutions with an option of funds available to buy them out of teaching/administrative responsibilities or for embellishment of their research programmes (e.g. using the funds to hire a research assistant). There will be a two-week visit to Oxford to meet the collaborating group, research sponsor, and mentor, and to further develop research plans
Year 2: Fellows will be resident in Oxford, hosted by collaborators and integrated into Oxford colleges
Year 3: Fellows will return to home institutions and continue to be supported by Oxford, and again have the option of funds available to buy them out of teaching/administrative responsibilities or for embellishment of their research programmes

Research departments

The research elements of the Fellowship programme take place within the stimulating intellectual environment of research groups embedded within the academic departments of the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division,

Further information is available on the MPLS departmental websites:

Mathematical Institute

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