Google PhD Fellowship

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Deadline
Likely in April 2026
Annual Value
Full tuition and fees (enrollment fees, health insurance, books) plus a stipend to be used for living expenses, travel and personal equipment
Citizenship
Canadian
Permanent Resident
International
Degree Level
Doctoral

 

The Google PhD Fellowship Program was created to recognize outstanding PhD graduate students doing exceptional work in computer science and related fields. Fellowships support promising PhD candidates of all backgrounds who seek to influence the future of technology.  The fellowship provides full tuition and fees (enrollment fees, health insurance, books) plus a stipend to be used for living expenses, travel and personal equipment for up to 3 years. Recipients are also matched with a Google Research Mentor.  Google PhD Fellowship students are a select group recognized by Google researchers and their institutions as some of the most promising young academics in the world.

 

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

• Full-time UBC graduate students pursuing a PhD.
• Have completed or is expected to complete graduate coursework by the Fall of the award year (Fall 2025), when the Fellowship begins.
• Students must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
• Google employees, and their spouses, children, and members of their household are not eligible.
• Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible. Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.
• Past awardees from the Google PhD Fellowship program are not eligible to apply again

Eligible Research Areas:

Nurturing and maintaining strong relations with the academic community is a top priority at Google. 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 (including Information Retrieval and Extraction)
• Privacy, Safety, and Security
• Quantum Computing
• Software Engineering and Programming Languages
• Systems, Networking, and Cloud Computing

Evaluation Criteria

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. Essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

Research should align with Google AI Principles .

Application Procedures

A complete application comprises the following, submitted by the applicant as a single PDF to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies via the link below.  Applications must be submitted by April 7, 2025 at 4:00 pm PT.  Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Cover sheet signed by the applicant’s UBC department chair (and on official letterhead) confirming that the applicant meets the eligibility requirements:

• Full-time, UBC graduate students pursuing a PhD.
• Has completed or is expected to complete graduate coursework by the Fall of the award year (Fall 2024), when the Fellowship begins.
• Is not a Google employee, or their spouses, children, and members of their household.
• Is not already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible
• Note: The cover sheet should not include any additional content other than what is noted above.  Any extra content will be blocked off by the Graduate Awards department.

Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)

Short CV of student's primary supervisor (maximum 1 page)

Research/dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)

2 to 3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the student's work (one must be from the student's thesis supervisor)

• Should be on letterhead and signed
• Collected from the referees by the applicant and submitted as part of the applicant's application package.

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.

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. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities? Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family?)

Up-to-date, official transcripts for all post-secondary (undergraduate and graduate) studies, including those undertaken but not completed. This also includes transfer courses and exchange terms.

• UBC transcript: "Advising Transcript" document provided by your graduate program is acceptable.  Official UBC transcript is also acceptable. 
• Other transcripts: Must be official transcripts issued by the institution or "certified true" copies obtained from your graduate program.  G+PS verified transcripts from the eVision application system (obtained from your UBC graduate program) are also acceptable.
• Up-to-date transcripts are defined as transcripts dated or issued in the Winter session of the year of application (if currently registered) or after the last term completed (if not currently registered)
• Must include the grading key/legend.
• Per Google, transcripts must be in English.  If a transcript is in a language other than English, the transcript must be accompanied by an English translation provided by a certified translator..

Presentation standards required for documents prepared by the applicant:

• Pages must be 8 ½" x 11" (216 mm x 279 mm).
• Insert a minimum margin of 2 cm (3/4 inch) around the page (top, bottom and sides).
• Use a minimum font size of 10-point Arial font or equivalent.
• Attachments must be in PDF format.
• At the top of each page, indicate your name and the title of the document.

SUBMIT APPLICATION HERE

*File naming convention: Google_ApplicantLastName_ApplicantFirstName

Adjudication Procedures

Students cannot apply directly to Google; they must submit their application to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Graduate Awards department) and be nominated by the university. The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will convene a committee to review applications submitted and will nominate up to four students to the North America competition.

Further Information

For further information, please see the fellowship webpage and FAQs .  Questions?  Contact bree.wilson@ubc.ca .