Google PhD fellowship program
Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD.
Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD.
Overview
Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD.
Nurturing and maintaining strong relations with the academic community is a top priority at Google. The Google PhD Fellowship Program was created to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields. Fellowships support promising PhD candidates of all backgrounds who seek to influence the future of technology. Our research teams impact technology used by people all over the world and we encourage people of a wide range of backgrounds to apply. We currently offer fellowships in Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the United States.
Quick links
Quick links
Application status
Applications are currently closed for the 2026 cycle.
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Applications open
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Applications close
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Notification of proposal decisions by
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Public announcement of new fellowship recipients by
Research areas
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 fields listed below.
Note that region-specific research areas will be listed in application forms during the application window.
Computer architecture is foundational for computer science generally, and Google in particular. Google's architecture research is diverse and deep, from processor design to understanding how AI can profoundly change the way we think about how we design circuits. We are interested in proposals in all areas of computer architecture that demonstrate creativity, deep understanding, and bold thinking.
Algorithms and optimization form the foundations of computer science, focusing on designing efficient methods to solve complex contemporary problems including problems with applications in machine learning, data science, and modern AI. The primary goals in this area are to create methods that improve resource efficiency and sometimes offer guarantees on the quality of the solution. This line of research is crucial since it studies the solvability of problems through a set of tools that nicely complement machine learning techniques. For this area, we call for proposals specifically in the areas of:
- Combinatorial optimization
- Market algorithms
- Operations research
- Continuous optimization and learning
- Scalable algorithms
- Other
Subtopics: Population health, Complex medical data, Consumer health
Google’s Health research aims to advance AI and technology that helps people live healthier lives. Achieving this goal will require collaborative research with public officials, clinicians, and consumers. In partnership with public officials, we are creating tools to understand population level health. With clinicians, we are developing novel algorithms to better understand and make use of complex medical data such as images, text, lab tests, and genomics. With consumers, we are developing technology that helps people find high quality health information and better understand their own health status. By focusing on inclusive, transformative research we aim to improve the lives of billions of people. For this area, we call for proposals specifically in the areas of:
- Generating and understanding large datasets of the world to derive useful insights for improving population health, especially in under resourced regions or communities
- Novel algorithm development for better understanding of complex medical data, with focus areas in novel methods, novel applications, or underserved settings
- Novel methods, including both software and hardware, that helps extract health insights cheaper, faster, or better
Subtopics: Human-AI Collaboration, AI for Accessibility, Responsible AI in HCI, Interactive Machine Learning, Extended Reality (XR).
The Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research area aims to support academic research advancing innovative, human-centered interactive systems. We are particularly interested in proposals exploring foundational principles, guidelines, and theories shaping the future of HCI in the era of generative AI, including but not limited to:
- Human-AI Collaboration: Novel interaction paradigms, explainable AI, and trust in AI systems.
- AI for Accessibility: Leveraging AI to make technology more inclusive.
- Responsible AI in HCI: Ethical, fair AI systems that respect user privacy and agency.
- Interactive Machine Learning: Enabling users to understand, control, and interact with ML models.
- Extended Reality (XR): Novel perceptual algorithms and interactive systems for spatial and intelligent interaction in extended reality.
While we welcome research across all HCI sub-areas, we are particularly excited about proposals aligned with Google's focus on predictive and intelligent UIs, mobile and ubiquitous computing, extended reality (XR), cross-device interaction, social computing, and interactive visualization.
Machine learning, a cornerstone of Google's research initiatives, encompasses a vast spectrum of exploration. This includes fundamental theoretical investigations into algorithms and their underlying principles, as well as the development of practical applications that address real-world challenges. Through these diverse research endeavors, Google aims to advance the state-of-the-art in machine learning and harness its potential to drive innovation across a wide range of domains. For this area, we call for proposals specifically in the areas of:
- Learning algorithms & techniques
- Learning theory
- Federated learning
- Information theory
- Optimization for ML algorithms
- Reinforcement learning
- Robotics
- Recommender systems
Subtopics: Audio / Image / Video Understanding, Action Recognition, Digital Media Processing, Neural and Classical Image/Video Compression, Object Detection and Recognition, Speech, Robotics
Machine perception researchers at Google develop algorithms and systems to tackle a wide range of tasks, including action recognition, object recognition and detection, hand-writing recognition, audio understanding, perceptual similarity measures, and image and video compression. A main focus is on generative methods for creating exciting and novel images and video.
Subtopics: Knowledge Retrieval & Use, Grounding & Factuality, Agentic Workflows and Tool Use, Conversational Agents, Translation & Multilinguality, Multimodality & Language Grounding to Vision, Evaluation & Data, Novel Applications of LLMs.
Google research in Natural Language Processing comprises multiple research groups working on a wide range of natural language understanding and generation projects. Our researchers are focused on advancing the state of the art in natural language technologies and accelerating adoption everywhere for the benefit of the user. Natural Language Processing and Understanding plays a major role in driving Google’s company-wide efforts as language understanding is the key to unlocking Google’s approach: “Build a more helpful Google for everyone that increases the world’s knowledge, success, health, and happiness.”
Google Privacy, Safety, and Security is committed to ensuring that the internet is safer for everyone. To meet this goal, we support and partner with academia to bring about state of the art advancements across a broad range of privacy, security, and safety areas. For this area, we call for proposals specifically on:
- Novel applications of AI for privacy, security, and safety
- Ensuring the privacy, security, and safety of AI systems
- User and measurement studies of privacy, security, and safety
- Applied cryptography
- Differential privacy
- Hardware security and side-channel analysis
- Software vulnerabilities, software supply chains, and fuzzing
Topics outside of these areas will still be considered. However, we encourage applicants to align their proposals with one of the above topics.
Two primary goals of Google’s Quantum AI research are to develop a fault tolerant quantum computer that is capable of handling commercial, quantum-advantaged workloads and to identify novel applications that can be executed on quantum hardware. We actively collaborate with academic partners to advance these goals and we welcome the submission of proposals containing innovative ideas. For this area, we call for proposals specifically in the areas of:
- Quantum algorithms
- Quantum error correction
- Early fault-tolerant quantum computing
- NISQ experiments, prioritizing scientific discovery or beyond classical
- Superconducting qubits
- Classical methods for simulating quantum algorithms
Research on all aspects of software, including software engineering and programming languages. This includes software development methodologies and tools, debugging practices and tools, software testing strategies and tools, cooperation strategies for developers, interface and library design, programming language implementation, code optimization and verification techniques, etc.
Research for Systems, Networking and Cloud Computing focuses on exploration of future software and hardware for global distributed systems at unprecedented scale. We have interests ranging over the entire SW/HW stack: from firmware to operating system kernels to global storage to ML execution environments and cloud-scale orchestration; from novel networking hardware to communications protocols and network management, both for datacenters and global networks; and from custom processors to custom HW accelerators and their systems infrastructure.
FAQs
Africa
- Up to 3 year Fellowship
- US $15K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
Australia and New Zealand
- 1 year Fellowship
- AUD $20K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
Canada and the United States
- Up to 2 year Fellowship
- US $85K per year towards education costs (tuition and fees), living expenses, travel, and personal equipment (effective from 2025 for new recipients)
East Asia
- 1 year Fellowship
- US $10K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
Europe and the Middle East
- Up to 2 year Fellowship
- Yearly bursary towards stipend / salary, health care, social benefits, tuition and fees, conference travel and personal computing equipment. The bursary varies by country.
India
Early-stage PhD students
- Up to 4 year Fellowship
- US $50K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
Late-stage PhD students
- 1 year Fellowship
- US $10K to recognize research contributions, cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
Latin America
- Up to 2 year Fellowship
- US $15K per year to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
Southeast Asia
- Up to 3 year Fellowship
- US $10K per year for up to 3 years (or up to graduation, whichever is earlier) to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
Africa, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, East Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the United States: Universities must be an accredited research institution that awards research degrees to PhD students in computer science (or an adjacent field).
Restrictions: All award payments and recipients will be reviewed for compliance with relevant US and international laws, regulations and policies. Google reserves the right to withhold funding that may violate laws, regulations or our policies.
General Eligibility Requirements (All Regions):
- 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. Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.
- Past awardees from the PhD Fellowship program are not eligible to apply again.
Region-Specific Eligibility Requirements:
Universities should only nominate students that meet the following requirements
- Africa, India, Latin America, and Southeast Asia
- Incoming or early-stage PhD students can be nominated by their university; however, the Fellowship award is contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) within the academic award year of the Fellowship award, or the award shall be forfeited.
- Grant of the Fellowship does not mean admission to a PhD program. The awardee must separately apply and be accepted to a PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) at an eligible institution.
- Grant of the Fellowship will be subject to the rules and guidelines applicable in the institution where the awardee registers for the PhD program.
- Australia and New Zealand
- Early-stage students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).
- Canada and the United States
- Students who have completed graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins.
- East Asia
- Students who have completed most of their graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins. Students should have sufficient time for research projects after receiving a fellowship.
- Europe and the Middle East
- Students enrolled at any stage of their PhD are eligible to apply.
All application materials should be submitted in English.
The required materials vary depending on your region.
Universities will need to submit the following materials in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file.
Required Materials for All Nominated Students:
- Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
- Research/dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
Region-Specific Requirements for Nominated Students:
- Africa, Europe, and the Middle East:
- Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ "What are the eligibility requirements for students?")
- Short (1-page) CV of the student's primary PhD advisor
- 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
- Transcripts of current and previous academic records
- Australia and New Zealand:
- Transcripts of current and previous academic records
- 1-2 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
- Canada, East Asia, and the United States:
- Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ "What are the eligibility requirements for students?")
- Short (1-page) CV of the student's primary advisor
- 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
- Student essay response (350-word limit) to: "Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests."
- Student essay response (350-word limit) to: "Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time. (A leadership role can mean more than just a title...)"
- Transcripts of current and previous academic records
- India & Southeast Asia
- Short (one-page) resume/CV of the student applicant's primary PhD program advisor
- Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from the first year/semester of Bachelor's degree to date
- 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant's work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
- Latin America
- Cover sheet signed by an official representative of the university (e.g. advisor, department chair, etc.) confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ "What are the eligibility requirements for students?")
- Short (one-page) resume/CV of the student applicant's primary PhD program advisor
- Transcripts (mark sheets) starting from the 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)
- Student essay response (350-word limit) to: "Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests."
- Student essay response (350-word limit) to: "What are your long-term goals for your pathway in computing research, and how would receiving the Google PhD Fellowship help you progress toward those goals in the short-term?"
To apply for the Google PhD Fellowship Program, please follow these steps:
- University Nomination: All students must be nominated by an eligible university during the application period; direct applications from students are not accepted.
- Review the eligibility and application requirements: Please carefully review the eligibility criteria and application requirements specific to your region (see FAQs above).
- Submit application: Please contact your department or graduate school for information about your university's internal nomination process. If nominated, your university will submit your application on your behalf. The application submission portal will be available on the program page when the application period begins.
Canada and the United States: Universities may nominate up to four eligible students.
Africa, Australia, New Zealand, East Asia, Europe, India, Southeast Asia and the Middle East: Universities may nominate up to three eligible students.
Latin America: Universities may nominate any number of eligible students.
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 Canada and the United States, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.
A nominee's status as a member of a historically marginalized group is not considered in the selection of award recipients.
Research should align with Google AI Principles.
Incomplete proposals will not be considered.
Any monetary awards will be paid directly to the Fellow's university for distribution. No overhead should be assessed against them.
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.
No, Fellowship recipients do not become employees of Google due to receiving the award. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If they are interested in working at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.
Yes, Fellowship recipients are eligible for these scholarships.
Google PhD Fellowships begin at the start of the upcoming school year after award notification.
Application details vary by region. Please refer to the main Google PhD Fellowship Program page under ‘How to apply’ for specific information about your region.
We receive a high volume of emails, and to ensure we can respond to time-sensitive inquiries, we encourage you to first check our website for answers to your questions. Many common questions are addressed in our FAQs and other resources.
If you've reviewed the available information and still need assistance, please contact our global team at phdfellowship@google.com. Please note that due to the volume of inquiries, we may not be able to respond to questions already answered on the website.
Award recipients
See past PhD Fellowship recipients.
