2023 IBM PhD Fellowship Awards Program for Students Worldwide

The IBM PhD Fellowship Awards Program for students is an intensely competitive worldwide program, which honors exceptional PhD students who have an interest in solving problems that are important to IBM and fundamental to innovation in many academic disciplines and areas of study. This includes pioneering work in:

• cognitive computing and augmented intelligence;
• quantum computing;
• blockchain;
• data-centric systems;
• advanced analytics;
• security;
• radical cloud innovation;
• next-generation silicon (and beyond); and
• brain-inspired devices and infrastructure.

For more information about the focus areas, click here.

Since 1951, the IBM PhD Fellowship Program has collaborated with faculty, students and universities by recognizing and supporting exceptional PhD students that address focused areas of interest in technology. The IBM PhD Fellowship Awards nomination deadline is  February 17, 2023.

About The IBM PhD Fellowship Awards Program for Students

The 2023 IBM PhD Fellowship begins in the fall semester of 2023 and covers the 2023-2024 academic years. The associated internship may be a summer assignment 2023 or 2024, or an on-site assignment during the academic year, depending on the arrangements made between the awardee, the IBM mentor, and the faculty advisor.

The value of the awards vary by the country in which the university is located.

• Awards for universities in the United States are $40,000.
• Awards for other countries vary between $6,000 and $25,000.

Eligibility Criteria

All nominees

• must be nominated by a doctoral faculty member; students cannot nominate themselves.
• must be enrolled full-time in a PhD program over the academic year of the award or forfeit the fellowship.
• should have two years remaining in their program at the time of nomination so the fellowship can be applied to the last two years of study.
• that are from U.S. embargoed countries are not eligible for the program.
• that are receiving a comparable fellowship, internship, or support from another company or institution (except for academic scholarships) during the IBM PhD Fellowship funding period are ineligible for this award.
• must stay in the same program for the duration of the award —no transferring of departments or schools.

Awardees will be selected based upon

• their potential for research excellence. All awardees will have an IBM mentor for the duration of the award period and are strongly encouraged to intern during the year of their award. All student visas must align with terms of the internship.
• the degree to which the nominees’ research aligns with IBM focus areas.
• academic standing, publications, and endorsements from faculty advisors and department heads.

Nominating faculty must submit thoroughly developed proposals, remain engaged during the vetting and due diligence process, and use the university domain email address for all correspondence.