IBM - IBM PhD Fellowships (for 2nd year students)

Benefit

You will receive a one-off grant for one academic year, as well as an IBM mentor (an experienced researcher who will guide you) to support you throughout the year. The amount depends on where your university is located: about 37,000 EUR (USD 40,000) at US universities and approximately 5,500 to 23,000 EUR (USD 6,000 to USD 25,000) in other countries. The money is paid to your university, not directly to you. The technology company IBM has been running this global programme since 1951 for PhD students working on topics of relevance to IBM, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hybrid cloud and semiconductors. You are encouraged to undertake an internship at IBM during or after the funding year, although this is not compulsory.

Eligibility

• Level: You are a full-time PhD student and will remain enrolled as a full-time student throughout the entire funding year.
• Nomination: You cannot apply yourself. A professor who supervises PhD students must nominate you.
• Timing: At the time of your nomination, you will be about two years away from completing your PhD.
• Field: Your field of research aligns with IBM’s key technological areas, such as computer science, engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or physics.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply, and you do not need to be a national of the country in which you are studying. You are not eligible to apply if you are from, or are studying in, a country subject to a US embargo.
• Other funding: You must not receive any comparable scholarship or funding from a company during the same period. Conventional academic scholarships are permitted.
• No switching: You must remain on the same degree programme, in the same faculty and at the same university for the entire duration of the scholarship.

How to apply

Your line manager submits the nomination via the IBM portal, to which only invited faculty members have access. The nomination deadline is in November, and the award winners are selected in the final quarter of the year.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a globally coveted award. Only a few dozen students are honoured each year, and past recipients include graduates from universities such as MIT, Stanford, Harvard and Princeton. It is not possible to apply independently; the first hurdle is therefore finding a supervisor who is willing to nominate you. You’ll have the best chance of success if you have a strong research track record and publications on a topic that aligns with IBM’s current priorities.