Google PhD Fellowship Program

Overview

Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD. Nurturing and maintaining strong relations with the academic community is a top priority at Google. The Google PhD Fellowship Program was created to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields. Fellowships support promising PhD candidates of all backgrounds who seek to influence the future of technology. Our research teams impact technology used by people all over the world and we encourage people of a wide range of backgrounds to apply. All applications must be submitted through InfoReady, the university will then nominate selected students to Google directly.

If selected, you will receive

• Up to 2 year Fellowship
• US $85K per year towards education costs (tuition and fees), living expenses, travel, and personal equipment (effective from 2025 for new recipients)

For additional information regarding the Fellowship Program, please see their FAQ page. If you have any questions not answered in the FAQ section, please contact phdfellowshipgoogle [dot] com (phdfellowship[at]google[dot]com).

Eligible Fields of Research:

• Computer Architecture
• Algorithms and Optimization
• Health Research
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Machine Learning and ML Foundations
• Machine Perception
• Natural Language Processing
• Privacy, Safety, and Security
• Quantum Computing
• Software Engineering and Programming Languages
• Systems, Networking, and Cloud Computing

Review Criteria for Applicants to Consider 

Applications are evaluated on the strength of the research proposal, research impact, student academic achievements, and leadership potential along with essay responses. 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. Research should align with Google AI Principles.

Eligibility Requirements:

• 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 PhD Fellowship program are not eligible to apply again.
• Students must have completed some part of their graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins.

Selection Process

GW will nominate up to four eligible students. In order to be considered, please visit the OVPR INFOREADY to submit the initial application materials by April 15, 2026.

Selection Timeline

• April 13, 2026: GW internal submission deadline and materials due to OVPR INFOREADY.
• April 29, 2026: Selected internal applicant is notified.
• April 30, 2026: Application submission deadline.
• August 31, 2026: Notification of proposal decisions.
   

Initial Application Materials:

Required Application Materials:

If selected from the internal competition, you must be prepared to submit the following by April 29th 2026. All items must be submitted in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file.

• Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See above)
• Short (1-page) CV of the student's primary advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
• Transcripts of current and previous academic records
• Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
• Research/dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• 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...)"

For questions, please contact Joe Matope, Executive Director, Corporate Relations, at cfrgwu [dot] edu.