Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship Program
The Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship is a two-year fellowship program for outstanding PhD students nominated by their universities. This program supports men and women in their third and fourth years of PhD graduate studies. To be eligible for this fellowship, you must apply during your second or third year of PhD studies. Fellowships are granted by Microsoft Research at the discretion of Microsoft.
On This Page:
2010 Fellows Sponsored by Microsoft Research
| Charles Han | Columbia University |
| Chris Harrison | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Dafna Shahaf | Carnegie Mellon University |
| David Erickson | Stanford University |
| Dilip Krishnan | New York University |
| Jian Peng | Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago |
| Jonah Sherman | University of California, Berkeley |
| Shubhangi Saraf | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Silas Boyd-Wickizer | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| William Harris | University of Wisconsin, Madison |
Provisions of the Award
- The fellowship recipient award will cover 100 percent of the tuition and fees for two academic years (2010 and 2011).
- A stipend is provided to cover living expenses while in school (US$28,000 for 2010–2011).
- A conference and travel allowance is provided for recipients to attend professional conferences or seminars (US$4,000 for 2010–2011).
- All recipients will be offered the opportunity to complete one salaried internship over the duration of the year following the award.
- Fellowships are awarded to recipients for two academic years only and are not available for extension.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants for the Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship Program must be nominated by their universities, and their nominations must be confirmed by the office of the chair of the eligible department. Direct applications from students are not accepted.
- Student must attend a United States or Canadian university and be enrolled in the Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Mathematics department (if your department is within the scope of these areas, but is titled differently, you are eligible).
- Students must be starting their second or third year in an eligible PhD program in the fall semester or fall quarter of 2009.
- A maximum of three applicants per eligible department, per eligible university will be accepted.
- Payment of the fellowship awards, as described above, will be made directly to the university and is not transferable to another academic institution or department. The recipient must remain enrolled in a PhD program during the period of the award or forfeit the award.
Application Process
- Applications must include: Nominee's thesis proposal, nominee's curriculum vitae, and three (3) letters of reference from established researchers familiar with the nominee’s research. Of these, one (1) letter should come from the student's advisor.
- Applications must be submitted online in any of the following formats: Word document, text-only file, PDF. All application materials must be submitted by the person designated as the application contact by the departmental chair's office and must not be the applicant.
- Applications will be accepted only when submitted via the Microsoft designated online application system by eligible university department chairs or their designee (students may not apply directly). E-mailed or hard-copy applications will not be considered.
- Applications submitted to Microsoft will not be returned. Microsoft cannot assume responsibility for the confidentiality of information in submitted applications. Therefore, applications should not contain information that is confidential, restricted, or sensitive. Microsoft reserves the right to make public information from applications that receive awards, except those portions containing budgetary or personally identifiable information.
- Incomplete applications cannot be considered, and notification of incompleteness will not be made. Applications must be received no later than 11:59 PM PST (Pacific Standard Time) on Friday, October 9, 2009. The online application system will no longer be active after the application deadline. Late applications will not be accepted. All applicants will be notified of award decisions (regardless of outcome) by February 8, 2010.
- Due to the volume of submissions, Microsoft Research cannot provide individual feedback on applications that do not receive Fellowship awards.
Related Links
Contact Us
- See the Frequently Asked Questions.
- Please direct any questions to your university department chair.
- Or contact Microsoft directly at:
Microsoft Research
One Microsoft Way – 99/4118
Redmond, WA 98052
msfellow@microsoft.com
