Microsoft Research PhD Scholarship

The PhD Scholarship Programme recognises and supports exceptional students who show the potential to make an outstanding contribution to science and computing. This programme supports PhD students in computing and those working at the intersection of computing and the sciences.

Only PhD supervisors should apply. If their project is selected, the supervisor has up to a year to find the best possible student for the project. Joint applications by two supervisors from different disciplines are especially encouraged.

Schedule

• Application deadline: 16 September 2009
• Notification of results: December 2009

Eligibility Criteria

We usually consider only one application per university department or per laboratory of a national research institution.

Only applications from countries in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East will be considered. Some additional criteria apply in some of these countries.

Only applications in research areas relatively close to the ones researchers at Microsoft Research in Cambridge focus on will be considered. These areas are:

• Computational Science
• Computer-Mediated Living
• Constraint Reasoning
• Machine Learning and Perception
• Online Services and Advertising
• Programming, Principles, and Tools
• Systems and Networking

Unless otherwise specified, applications may only be submitted through the online application tool.

Awards

Each Microsoft scholarship consists of an annual bursary up to a maximum of three years. The amount varies in different countries and may depend on specific arrangement with public research funding agencies. The bursary continues automatically the following years, provided the Scholar meets the requirements of the institution. Payment is made to the institution. The amount of the scholarship is the maximum amount Microsoft Research pays to the institution. For more details, see our terms and conditions. In addition, every Scholar receives a laptop with a selection of software applications.

During the course of their PhD, Scholars are invited to Microsoft Research in Cambridge for an annual Summer School that includes a series of talks of academic interest and posters sessions, which provides the Scholars the opportunity to present their work to Microsoft researchers and a number of Cambridge academics.

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. Interested Scholars need to apply through the Microsoft Research internship Web site.

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