How to apply

Applications are now closed and all Stage 1 candidates have been contacted. Please note that panel decisions are final.

Objectives

To identify and support exceptional early-career faculty based at Indian and African universities who are working on using AI to accelerate progress in other scientific fields. This Fellowship programme is designed for faculty working at either the Assistant or Associate Professor level. This programme aims to provide the faculty with the tools and training needed to apply state-of-the-art AI and machine learning methods for maximum impact in their particular area of scientific research. The programme will enable the faculty to develop and apply AI techniques across engineering, and the natural and mathematical sciences while maintaining their positions at their home institutions and establish strong cross-disciplinary collaborative links with academic colleagues in Oxford.

Note, we do not expect prospective faculty to be experts in AI and/or machine learning.

Eligibility criteria
  • Be a Citizen and a Resident of a country in either Africa or India
  • Be currently employed at a university or an academic institute in either Africa or India, working at either Assistant or Associate Professor level (or equivalent)
  • Be within the first six years of your current faculty appointment
  • Have an active research programme on using AI to accelerate progress in a scientific field OR have a promising research idea to demonstrate how AI can advance scientific progress
  • Be working in one (or more) of the following three priority application areas:
    • Climate change, environment and biodiversity
    • Food and water security
    • STEM underpinning biomedical research

Please note that projects working directly on medical data or towards clinical outcomes, including projects involving patient records and clinical trials, are not eligible through this scheme.

Assessment criteria
  • Strong research track record appropriate to the career stage of the applicant
  • 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
  • Application alignment with the three priority application areas (stated above)
  • Appropriate level of understanding of how AI techniques might be applied in order to progress the research area
  • Clear demonstration of how the training component will benefit the applicant, their research, and their career
  • Clear demonstration of how the impact of their research will benefit the wider community
  • Evidence of how the applicant will benefit from being part of a cohort and the ability to demonstrate what makes them a good fit for the programme

Application process

Stage 1

The application portal opens on 28 March and closes on 28 April (at 12noon BST). The information required at this stage will be:

  • CV (7 pages maximum, Calibri 11pt font, 2cm margins, including a list of academic publications and teaching commitments)
  • Brief research proposal, clearly setting out the research project you wish to pursue, including how your existing or proposed approach will find application within the three priority application areas listed above, and why this use of AI/ML will result in novel insights and impact. Please specify clearly which of the three priority areas is best aligned with your research interests. Your research proposal should include key summaries that can be used for communication with a non-scientific audience (max. 300 words).
  • Contact details of two referees (name, title, email, work address). These referees should be people who have directly worked with you in an academic setting in the past, in either a supervisory capacity or on a collaborative research project.
  • Contact details of Head of Department (or equivalent - at the institute where the applicant is currently based). Note, that this individual will only be asked to confirm their support in Stage 1 (i.e. pre-shortlisting); if the application gets through to the shortlisting phase, we will ask them to write a letter of support.
  • Any extenuating circumstances (optional) please outline any interruptions to your research/career which you would like the selection panel to be aware of; these might include caring duties.

Stage 2 (for shortlisted candidates only)

The application portal opens on 20 May and closes on 3 June (at 12 noon BST). The information required at this stage will be:

  • Statement of purpose explaining why your existing research and future career plan makes you a good fit for the Schmidt Faculty Fellowship Programme (max. 1000 words).
    What does a statement of purpose cover? It describes a candidate’s current and historical research and outlines their intended future career. It should make clear why being a Schmidt Faculty Fellow would help candidates to achieve their career goals. In describing the current and historical research, we ask candidates to indicate the key outcomes and impacts of their research.
  • Detailed research proposal clearly setting out the research project you wish to pursue, including how your existing or proposed approach will find application within the three priority application areas listed above, and why this use of AI/ML will result in novel insights and impact. Please provide a detailed research proposal for a scientific audience (max. 2000 words).
    What is the purpose of the detailed research proposal? It should describe step by step, including timelines, how candidates intend to carry out their proposed research as part of this fellowship programme. It should explain why the use of AI/ML is appropriate and will lead to advancement in their field (focussing on the priority area/s of this fellowship). AI/ML models usually require data to train them, and candidates should make clear what data they intend to use to do so. If the data do not already exist, candidates should describe how they intend to generate or collect these data. The proposal should be written for a scientific audience.
  • Statement of support from the Head of Department, or equivalent (at the institute where the applicant is currently based).
    What should be contained within the statement of support? It should explain how the candidate’s home institution will make arrangements for the candidate throughout and after the fellowship. As indicated in the stage 1 process, this should indicate arrangements for years 1 and 3, making explicit whether the funds supplied will be used to reduce candidates’ teaching responsibilities or reduce candidates’ administrative duties or whether the funds will be used by the candidates towards their own research expenses (for e.g., hiring a research assistant). Please note, the funds from the Fellowship cannot be used towards paying the Fellow’s salary in year 1 and 3. It should also make clear that the candidates will be permitted to visit Oxford during years 1 & 3, in each case for 2 weeks (i.e. a total of 4 weeks). It should also reiterate that the candidates will be permitted to take 1 year of leave during year 2, where they will be present in Oxford throughout this time; during this year, it is expected that the candidates will be relieved of teaching and administrative duties at their home institutions, and this should be explicitly stated. The letter should also make explicit that the candidates will be permitted to return to their jobs at their home institutions after the end of the Schmidt Faculty Fellowship. Optionally, the statement of support can also speak to the qualities of the candidate and comment on the strategic fit of this Fellowship scheme to the home institution.
  • Two samples of written work (published or working papers) within the last 5 years that are relevant to this fellowship. For each piece of work, provide a short statement explaining its significance in broad terms and its relevance to this fellowship (max. 100 words for each written work). For any co-authored work, please also state your contributions to the paper.What is the purpose of the two samples of written work? The written work should provide evidence that the candidate is qualified in the field in which they intend to undertake research during this Fellowship. This work should also showcase the quality of the candidate and demonstrate their research impact. We do not expect the candidate to be well-versed in AI/ML methods and do not require that one of these works involve such methods; if the candidate has done work in applying such methods to their field of research, however, it is fine to include such an example. In co-authored works, we ask that candidates outline their contributions to the paper, which we expect to be substantial for any submitted work.
  • Training plan providing an overview of any AI-related or professional skills you will need to acquire or further develop in order for you to succeed in your planned research (max. 500 words).
    What is the purpose of the training plan? The Schmidt Faculty Fellowship is, at its core, a training Fellowship, where Oxford provides candidates with the time and space to develop the skills which will be essential for their intended career path. We expect that some of these skills will be AI-related; others may be professional skills, such as those involved in leadership or grant writing. If awarded the Fellowship, we would work with candidates to design bespoke training to suit their needs. In answering this question, we invite candidates to describe the specific training areas that they believe are essential for their research and future career.
  • Statement on ensuring wider benefits of this fellowship explaining the approaches you will take to maximise the impact of your work and ensure equitable take-up of your research (max. 200 words).
    What is the aim of the statement on ensuring wider benefits of this fellowship? We aim to fund individuals whose research will have an impact. This impact could be within their academic field or outside of it. In answering this question, we ask candidates to outline their strategy for ensuring that their work achieves this impact. For example, this could include planning to produce high-quality research software, which will be made publicly available; it could also involve holding workshops with other researchers or policymakers/stakeholders.

Applicants who are shortlisted after stage 2 will be invited to interview. Interviews will be held online on 30th June & 1st July 2025.

Your application will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel of academic researchers, and decisions will be based solely on how you demonstrate that you meet the selection criteria stated above.  Short listed candidates will be interviewed as part of this process. Please note that there may not be experts in your scientific area or the specific AI techniques you plan to use on the panel, so please ensure that your methods and the science behind them are clearly explained.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/rp9aIoOe_es?si=SBxBmy4GWS7OpN8J

Stage 1 application process webinar - April 2025

Frequently asked questions

No, a PhD is not necessary; we ask that applicants are either Associate or Assistant Professors, or in an equivalent level position.

No, there is no age limit.

The successful candidates will be matched with an Oxford collaborator in a collaborative process. This matching does not form part of the selection process so please do not contact Oxford faculty about the matching during your application.

The Oxford collaborators will host the fellows in their respective departments and provide academic support during the fellowship.

Yes, however we ask that your research be predominantly in the the mathematical, physical or life sciences, within the three focus areas.

Yes, applications will need to be in English.

The programme will assist the successful candidates in the visa application process by sending supporting documents and providing bursaries to pay for the costs of these applications, including travel to and from the visa offices. Please note it is the responsibility of the candidate to make a timely visa application and ensure they meet the requirements.

You can only apply via the application portal. Email applications will not be considered.

The application process allows one to make changes to the application while it is still in draft form and to save it on the platform until a later time or date when one is ready to submit. An application can no longer be edited once it has been submitted.

Yes, we only ask that candidates be within their first six years of their appointment as Associate/ Assistant Professor.