We invite students from across Africa to apply to be part of the September 2024 cohort and become one of our 40 Google DeepMind Scholars for the 2024-25 academic year!
AI for Science is a stream in AIMS South Africa's Master’s degree in Mathematical Science, made possible through a partnership with Google DeepMind. The program sits at the exciting intersection of AI and the Sciences. This exciting program started with its first intake of students in September 2023. It is a fully residential one-year taught masters with a research component. Applications are open to students from across Africa who are passionate about mathematics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. We are looking for students who gaze at the stars and the world around them in wonder, and who want to use their talents to accelerate scientific discovery.
It is an exciting time for science in Africa. On our doorstep, the Square Kilometre Array will be the largest radio telescope ever built and will produce science that changes our understanding of the universe. The first detection of the Beta and Omicron Covid-19 variants happened close to our institute in Muizenberg.
With such stellar scientific neighbours, the program benefits from the expertise of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) and its South African partner, the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), and the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA).
The initial focus areas of the program is AI and machine learning in cosmology, epidemiology and ecology.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible to apply for the AI for Science program, you have to:
- Be a resident in Africa at time of application,
- Be a citizen of any country in Africa,
- Have completed a four-year undergraduate degree or a three-year undergraduate degree with an honours year by August 2024 (or December 2024 for southern African applicants; see FAQ),
- Not have held a previous scholarship to study at an AIMS centre.
Your undergraduate degree could be in physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering or any other discipline with a strong computational and mathematical component.
The requirement of having completed either a four-year undergraduate degree or a three-year undergraduate degree with an additional honours year is a requirement for enrolling as a Master’s degree student in South Africa.
Offered Benefits
The scholarships aim to ensure that scholars receive full financial support (tuition, stipend or living costs, and a grant for necessary equipment and attendance at an academic conference). Scholars are generally supported financially for the duration of their study, from the year they join their course. In a few cases, where graduate funding is already available through the university or department, DeepMind scholarships serve to enhance the existing funding, support the educational experience, and give the scholar the opportunity to focus more fully on their studies.
Application Process
Go to Google on apply.aims.ac.za to apply
Register at apply.aims.ac.za
The online application includes a dozen short mathematics questions and one coding problem. It’s not an exam, but the questions give the selection panel some insight into how you approach problems. A full application can’t be completed at the last minute, and we encourage prospective DeepMind Scholars at AIMS South Africa to start applying early!
Required Documents:
- Your curriculum vitae
- A motivation letter of around 500 words
- Academic transcripts
- Written mathematics questions (to be found on the application site)
- Coding problem (to be found on the application site)
