Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship

• Tuition and fees will be covered for two academic years.
• A $42,000 stipend to help with living expenses while in school for two academic years.
• Opportunities will be provided to build relationships with Microsoft research teams and mentorship. 

• Fellows should support Microsoft’s mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

• Must be nominated by university. Nomination must be submitted by designee of department chair’s office. Departments can nominate up to 4 students (see Note below).

• Proposed research must be related to general area of research conducted by Microsoft. See Microsoft’s Our Research and learn more about areas of research.

• Students must be in 3^rd year of PhD in the fall semester the fellowship begins. Department chair’s office must attest that the student will be considered 3^rd year.

• Recipient must remain active, full-time student in PhD program during the two consecutive academic years of award. Fellowship extensions are not allowed.

• Must be nominated by university. Nomination must be submitted by designee of department chair’s office. Departments can nominate up to 4 students (see Note below).

NOTE: If two or three students are nominated, then at least one nominee should identify as underrepresented in the field of computing, and if four are nominated, then at least two nominees should identify as underrepresented in the field of computing. This includes those who self-identify as a woman, African American, Black, Hispanic, Latinx, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQI+, active or veteran service member, and/or person with a disability.

Nomination's are submited directy to Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship. The University Graduate School does not review nominations. 

When submitting a nomination, the department must provide: 

• Your name, email, and job title as the person submitting the nomination on behalf of the department chair’s office at your university

• Attest that the process used to determine which student(s) to nominate from your department for this fellowship was fair and non-discriminatory

• Nominee’s name, email, country, university, and department

• Primary and secondary areas of research (see Our research at the top of Microsoft page)

• Attest that as of the fall semester or quarter of 2021, the university considers the nominee will be a third year PhD student (having taken into account transfers, approved leaves of absence, etc.)

• Indicate as to whether or not the nominee you are putting forth self-identifies as underrepresented in the field of computing (as detailed under eligibility)

Nominated students will receive an email from Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship by July 9, 2021. Check junk email folder if it is not received. Email will contain a private link to submit your proposal.

You will be asked to answer the below questions in the form, and upload materials:

1. Your name, email, country, university, and department.
2. Primary and secondary areas of research (see Our research at the top of Microsoft page).
3. Thesis proposal or research statement title.
4. Month and year entered the PhD program and expected graduation date. 
5. Indicate as to whether or not you are a doctoral student who identifies as part of a community that is underrepresented in the field of computing which include those who self-identify as a woman, African American, Black, Hispanic, Latinx, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQI+, active or veteran service member, and/or person with a disability.
6. URL to your professional website (optional, but strongly recommended; you are encouraged to make certain it is up-to-date).
7. Approximate cost of tuition and fees for one academic year (See MoneySmartsfor estimate).
8. One to three academic conferences you are most likely to attend.
9. Self-assessment of the Statement of Good Standing: “I declare I have never been disciplined for inappropriate behavior, including, but not limited to discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), or plagiarism. If I am selected to receive funding under Microsoft’s Fellowship program, during my funding time period, I agree to inform Microsoft should I be subjected to disciplinary proceedings for inappropriate behavior, including but not limited to discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), or plagiarism which would result in forfeiture of funding under Microsoft’s Fellowship program.”
10. Three (3) letters of recommendation: Add the contact information (name, affiliation, email) and send the email request through the submission portal to your three recommenders as soon as possible so they have ample time to provide a letter. Their deadline is the same as your proposal deadline on August 6, 2021. They should come from department chairs and be established researchers familiar with your research (at least one of which must be from your primary academic advisor/supervisor and only one letter can be from a current Microsoft employee). Once you send the request through the submission portal, they will receive a private link to upload a letter of recommendation for you.

Upload each of the following documents separately: 

1. Curriculum vitae
2. Thesis proposal or research statement (short and concise is recommended—no more than five pages including references with font no smaller than 10-point)
3. One-page summary (including references with font no smaller than 10-point) of the above thesis proposal or research statement with the first paragraph describing the desired impact your research will have in the field and in society, and why it is important to you

NOTE: Upload formats are docx, doc, and pdf. Name the individual files using the convention, with your first name and last name as part of your file name each separated by an underscore: Jane_Smith_cv.docx

• Curriculum vitae – file name: cv
• Thesis proposal or research statement  – file name: thesis
• One-page summary – file name: summary

• Payment of the award, as described above, will be made directly to the university and dispersed according to the university’s policies. Microsoft will have discretion as to how any remaining funds will be used if the student is no longer qualified to receive funding (e.g. if the student unenrolls from the program, graduates, or transfers to a different university).

• Funding is for use only during the recipient’s time in the PhD program; it cannot be used for support in a role past graduation, such as a postdoc or faculty position. Those interested in receiving this fellowship will need to confirm their PhD program starting month and year, as well as their expected graduation month and year.

• A recipient of the Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship subject to disciplinary proceedings for inappropriate behavior, including but not limited to discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), or plagiarism will forfeit their funding.

• A recipient of the Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship may not receive another fellowship from another technology company during the same academic period. Fellows accepting multiple fellowships may become ineligible to receive continued funding from Microsoft. Microsoft will at its sole discretion consider a joint fellowship with a government or non-profit organization.

For questions regarding proposals, contact Microsoft Research Fellowships at  msfellow@microsoft.com.