Google PhD Fellowship

Eligible applicants:

• must be full-time students pursuing a PhD at University of Victoria.
• must have completed or be expected to complete all graduate coursework by the fall of the award year when the Fellowship begins and be focused on research for their degree.
• must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
• cannot be Google employees, and their spouses, children, or members of their household.
• are not already supported by a comparable industry award. (Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.)
• cannot have previously received the Google PhD Fellowship.

Eligible areas of research:

The Fellowships are awarded to students who represent the future of research in the following fields:

• Computer Architecture
• Algorithms and Optimization
• Health Research
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Machine Learning and ML Foundations
• Machine Perception
• Natural Language Processing
• Privacy, Safety, and Security
• Quantum Computing
• Software Engineering and Programming Languages
• Systems, Networking, and Cloud Computing

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.

Research should align with Google AI Principles.

Students should submit applications to their departments for further submission to the UVic Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS); students cannot apply directly to Google. The review of applications will be overseen by FGS and the Faculty of Engineering. Up to four applications can be sent to Google from UVic.

Successful applicants will be notified by Google by August 31, 2025.

Students cannot apply directly to the program; they must be nominated by an eligible university during a region’s application period. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

For each student nomination, the university will be asked to submit the following material:

1. Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student is eligible (see Eligibility Requirements above).
2. Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
3. Short (1-page) CV of the student's primary advisor
4. 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor). These should be on letterhead and signed.
5. Research / dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
6. 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."
7. 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...)"
8. Transcripts from all current and previous post-secondary studies including exchanges, transfer credits and incomplete degrees. Transcripts should be official and include the legend. Exception: unofficial UVic transcripts will be accepted.

Required presentation standards for all student-prepared documents:

• Pages must be 8 ½" x 11" (216mm x 279mm)
• All text must be in minimum 10-point Arial font (or equivalent)
• All margins must be set at a minimum of ¾" (1.87 cm)
• Attachments must be in PDF format

All documents listed above must be submitted by the department to the FGS Scholarship Assistant at fgsschol@uvic.ca before the UVic internal deadline. Students should provide their department with all required documents according to the department's stated deadline.

Please see the Google fellowship webpage for more information.

Questions can be directed to:

Google: phdfellowship@google.com

UVic Graduate Scholarship Assistant: fgsschol@uvic.ca.