Schmidt AI in Science African Faculty Fellowship 2027 at the University of Michigan

The Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science African Faculty Fellowship is taking applications for its 2027 cohort. It is run by the Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society (MIDAS) at the University of Michigan and funded by Schmidt Sciences. It supports African faculty members who want to apply AI methods to research questions in science and engineering.

Fellows join the program for two years. They spend one year in residence in Ann Arbor, starting in summer 2027, and one year carrying out research or training activities in Africa. During the residence, each fellow receives an annual stipend of $35,000 and medical insurance. The program also provides housing and covers visa fees and travel between Michigan and Africa. It funds computer and software licenses, conference travel, training workshops and publication costs.

You must hold a faculty post at a university in Africa, or a similar research role at an African research organization. Your PhD must be completed before July 1, 2027. Your PhD or your first faculty appointment, whichever came first, must date from July 1, 2017 or later. The PhD can be in any field. The research must use AI in biological, earth and environmental, engineering, or physical and mathematical science. Work on disease diagnosis, prevention or treatment is out of scope.

The application has two phases. Phase 1 closes at 11:59 pm EDT on October 5, 2026. University of Michigan faculty then review the applications, and those that find a faculty host move to Phase 2, which closes on November 23, 2026. A Phase 1 application that already includes a host letter goes straight to Phase 2. Notifications start in early February 2027.

The program looks for strong research plans, a vision for building AI in science capacity back in Africa, and a good fit with its goals. Each faculty host receives $40,000 to run a joint research project with the fellow.