Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship 2020 for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)

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Microsoft scholarships consist of an annual bursary up to a maximum of three years for PhD supervisors and students to do collaborative research projects with Microsoft Research Cambridge.

Application Deadlines:

  • Nominations from Microsoft Researchers Open August 30, 2019 and close September 21, 2019 17:00 GMT
  • Faculty nominees receive a request to submit their proposal  September 24, 2019
  • Proposals accepted through November 5, 2019 17:00 GMT
  • Recipients announced by January 31, 2020

Eligible Countries: Countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa

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To be taken at (country): Candidates home country.

About the Award: Each year, PhD supervisors from academic institutions in EMEA are invited to submit their proposals for collaborative research projects with Microsoft Research Cambridge. Applications are then peer reviewed and a number of projects selected for funding. PhD students are appointed to the selected projects and begin their research in the following academic year under the supervision of their academic supervisor, with co-supervision from a researcher at Microsoft Research Cambridge.

Some of the Scholars may also be offered—at the sole discretion of Microsoft Research—an internship in one of the Microsoft Research laboratories. Internships involve working on a project alongside and as part of a team of Microsoft researchers. Scholars are paid during their internship—in addition to their scholarship bursary.

Type: Research, PhD.

Eligibility: Applications must not be made by students but by PhD supervisors, who must have been nominated by Microsoft Research prior to the submission deadline. Only applications from institutions in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa will be considered.

For an application to be considered, the following key requirements apply:

  1. The institute agrees to the terms and conditions in the PhD Term Sheet and EPSRC Term Sheet where appropriate and there will be no negotiation once the selections have been made and communicated.
  2. Applicants must be nominated by a Microsoft supervisor  to be eligible to submit an application.
  3. The proposed research must be closely related to our research themes at Microsoft Research in Cambridge:
    • All Data AI
    • Cloud Infrastructure
    • Confidential Computing
    • Future of Work
    • Game Intelligence
    • Healthcare Intelligence
    • Biological Computation

Microsoft actively seeks to foster greater levels of diversity in our workforce and in our pipeline of future researchers. We are always looking for the best and brightest talent and pride ourselves on our individuality.

Selection Criteria: Applications should contain the following:

  • A completed online application form that includes contact details of the main supervisor together with a named secondary supervisor who will be willing to take the project on if the main named supervisor leaves.
  • Funding requirements.
  • A project proposal of maximum six (6) A4 pages in 10-point font, including references. Accepted formats: plain text (.txt), .pdf, or Microsoft Office Word (.doc or .docx) only.

The research project proposal should address the following points:

  • Evidence that the research supervisor would be suitable to supervise a PhD student for the proposed research project. This may include a short list of the supervisor’s recent and relevant publications. Please consider including the URLs of the publications to make it easier for reviewers to find them.
  • How research relates to the Microsoft Research Cambridge lab’s current research themes.
  • Evidence that the department or laboratory offers a suitable environment for research in the proposed area.
  • Basis for the research (motivations and brief state-of-the-art, including key references).
  • Hypothesis under investigation and main aims.
  • Research strategy with significant milestones if identified.
  • Methods of research (for example, main techniques, experiments, and trials).
  • Details of any collaboration with other departments/research bodies.
  • Expected outcomes (for example, software tools).
  • Description of the department that you work in (e.g. number of faculty and PhD students in the department).

Number of Scholarship: 20

Scholarship Benefits: Each Microsoft scholarship consists of an annual bursary up to a maximum of three years. The monetary value of the award varies by country to reflect local differences in costs and overheads. Payment is made directly to the institution. The amount of the scholarship is the maximum amount Microsoft Research pays to the institution. In addition, every Scholar receives a fixed hardware allowance and conference allowance.

Duration: Maximum of three years

How to Apply: Applications must be submitted by academic institutions, such as from a PhD supervisor or departmental secretary.

Please direct any questions to your university department chair or contact Microsoft directly at: [email protected]

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Important Notes: Only PhD supervisors should apply. If their project is selected, the supervisor has up to one year to find the best possible student for the project.

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