21-22 Two Sigma PhD Fellowship (Fall 2021) - Blackbaud

The Two Sigma PhD Fellowship supports doctoral students pursuing a PhD in a STEM field such as Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics and Finance/Econometrics at an accredited university in the United States. Applications are assessed based on the student’s research proposal, publications and recommendation letters.

• Fellowship recipients will receive an award for two consecutive Academic years (not to exceed $75,000 USD per Academic year) to cover tuition and fees plus a stipend for living expenses, in the form of an unrestricted gift paid directly to the university. 

• Fellowship recipients will also receive a one-time award of $10,000 USD paid to the Fellowship recipient directly, which, as a condition of the fellowship, may only be used for tuition, fees required to enroll at or attend their university, and books, supplies, equipment and course-related fees for courses at their university.

• A Two Sigma Research Mentor will be assigned to the Fellowship recipient.

Two Sigma is interested in the following computer science topics:

• • Machine learning & artificial intelligence

  • Deep learning

  • Reinforcement learning

  • Natural language processing

  • Computer vision

  • Robotics

  • Computational biology 

Eligibility

• Applicants must be full-time students currently pursuing a PhD at an accredited university in the United States.

• Students must be in at least their 3rd year of a PhD program when the Fellowship begins (fall semester or quarter 2022). 

• Two Sigma employees, contractors/consultants & relatives are not eligible.

• Students that are already supported by another industry fellowship are not eligible.

The department can nominate up to 3 PhD students. Their goal is essentially to sponsor outstanding research in STEM fields and therefore establish a long lasting partnership between Faculty, students, and Two Sigma.

Applications

1. Application Cover Page & Eligibility Verification – download this file to include as the first page in your application. (Student provides)
2. CV/Resume - include current contact information (email, phone, and mailing address), education, publications, awards, and service. (Student provides)
3. Research Proposal – listing your main area of focus, relevance to the field and its applicability to Two Sigma (3000 characters including spaces/~500 word max) (Student provides)
4. Transcripts - For Internal Review, unofficial transcripts are fine; however, note that official Academic transcripts (PhD Graduate Degree only, all years) are required if selected for external nomination. (Student provides) Note: Official electronic transcripts can be processed in a single day: https://registrar.illinois.edu/transcripts/.
5. Letters of Recommendation (2 required) – one must be from your current academic advisor, and the other must be from a professor in the department or related department who is familiar with your research. (Letter writers provide to Michelle Wellens)

For more details, see: https://twosigma.avature.net/eventsignup/eventDetail/New-York-New-York-United-States-2022-Two-Sigma-PhD-Fellowship/8906