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Google PhD fellowship program

Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD, as well as connect them to a Google Research Mentor.

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. Google’s mission is to foster inclusive research communities and encourage people of diverse backgrounds to apply. We currently offer fellowships in Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the United States.

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Program details

Application status, how to apply, research areas of focus, review criteria, award recipients.

Applications are currently closed.

Update on 2024 Announcement : Decisions for the 2024 application cycle, originally planned for July 2024, will now be announced via email in August 2024. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience as we work to finalize decisions.

• Launch March 27, 2024
• Deadline May 8, 2024
• Awardees Notified By Aug. 31, 2024

The details of each Fellowship vary by region. Please see our FAQ for eligibility requirements and application instructions.

PhD students must be nominated by their university. Applications should be submitted by an official representative of the university during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Australia and New Zealand

Canada and the United States

PhD students in Japan, Korea and Taiwan must be nominated by their university. After the university's nomination is completed, either an official representative of the university or the nominated students can submit applications during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

India and Southeast Asia

PhD students apply directly during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Latin America

The 2024 application cycle is postponed. Please check back in 2025 for details on future application cycles.

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. The Fellowships are awarded to students who represent the future of research in the fields listed below. Note that region-specific research areas will be listed in application forms during the application window.

Algorithms and Theory

Distributed Systems and Parallel Computing

Health and Bioscience

Human-Computer Interaction and Visualization

Machine Intelligence

Machine Perception

Natural Language Processing

Quantum Computing

Security, Privacy and Abuse Prevention

Software Engineering

Software Systems

Speech Processing

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.

In Canada and the United States, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

What does the Google PhD Fellowship include?

Students receive named Fellowships which include a monetary award. The funds are given directly to the university to be distributed to cover the student’s expenses and stipend as appropriate. In addition, the student will be matched with a Google Research Mentor. There is no employee relationship between the student and Google as a result of receiving the fellowship. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If students wish to apply for a job at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

• Up to 3 year Fellowship
• US $12K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor
• 1 year Fellowship
• AUD $15K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Up to 2 year Fellowship (effective from 2024 for new recipients)
• Full tuition and fees (enrollment fees, health insurance, books) plus a stipend to be used for living expenses, travel and personal equipment
• US $10K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Yearly bursary towards stipend / salary, health care, social benefits, tuition and fees, conference travel and personal computing equipment. The bursary varies by country.

Early-stage PhD students

• Up to 4 year Fellowship
• US $50K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Late-stage PhD students

• US $10K to recognise research contributions, cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• US $15K per year to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Southeast Asia

• US $10K per year for up to 3 years (or up to graduation, whichever is earlier) to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Is my university eligible for the PhD Fellowship Program?

Africa, Australia/New Zealand , Canada, East Asia, Europe and the United States : universities must be an accredited research institution that awards research degrees to PhD students in computer science (or an adjacent field).

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open to universities/institutes in India, Latin America (excluding Cuba), and in eligible Southeast Asian countries/regions (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam).

Restrictions : All award payments and recipients will be reviewed for compliance with relevant US and international laws, regulations and policies. Google reserves the right to withhold funding that may violate laws, regulations or our policies.

What are the eligibility requirements for students?

All regions

• 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.
• Grant of the Fellowship does not mean admission to a PhD program. The awardee must separately apply and be accepted to a PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) at an eligible institution.
• Grant of the Fellowship will be subject to the rules and guidelines applicable in the institution where the awardee registers for the PhD program.

Nominated students in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the United States, East Asia and Europe.

Universities should only nominate students that meet the following requirements:

• Africa: Incoming PhD students are eligible to apply, but the Fellowship award shall be contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) within the academic award year of the Fellowship award, or the award shall be forfeited.
• Australia and New Zealand : early-stage students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).
• Canada and the United States : students who have completed graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins.
• East Asia: students who have completed most of graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins. Students should have sufficient time for research projects after receiving a fellowship.
• Europe: Students enrolled at any stage of their PhD are eligible to apply.

Direct applicant students in India, Latin America and Southeast Asia

• Latin America : incoming or early stage-students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).

What should be included in an application? What language should the application be in?

All application materials should be submitted in English.

For each student nomination, the university will be asked to submit the following material in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file:

• Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (1-page) resume/CV of the student's primary PhD program advisor
• Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from first year/semester of Bachelor's degree to date
• Research proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee''s work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: What impact would receiving this Fellowship have on your education? Describe any circumstances affecting your need for a Fellowship and what educational goals this Fellowship will enable you to accomplish.
• Transcripts of current and previous academic records
• 1-2 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)

Canada, East Asia, the United States

• Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ "What are the eligibility requirements for students?")
• 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)
• 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. 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?)

Students will need the following documents in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file in order to complete an application (in English only):

• Student applicant’s resume with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (one-page) resume/CV of the student applicant's primary PhD program advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant's work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Applicant's 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.
• Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: What are your long-term goals for your pathway in computing research, and how would receiving the Google PhD Fellowship help you progress toward those goals in the short-term?

How do I apply for the PhD Fellowship Program? Who should submit the applications? Can students apply directly for a Fellowship?

Check the eligibility and application requirements in your region before applying. Submission forms are available on this page when the application period begins.

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia: students may apply directly during the application period.

Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, New Zealand, and the United States : students cannot apply directly to the program; they must be nominated by an eligible university during the application period.

How many students may each university nominate?

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open directly to students with no limit to the number of students that can apply from a university.

Australia and New Zealand : universities may nominate up to two eligible students.

Canada and the United States : Universities may nominate up to four eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage additional nominees who self-identify as a woman, Black / African descent, Hispanic / Latino / Latinx, Indigenous, and/or a person with a disability.

Africa, East Asia and Europe : Universities may nominate up to three eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage the additional nominee who self-identifies as a woman.

*Applications are evaluated on merit. Please see FAQ for details on how applications are evaluated.

How are applications evaluated?

In Canada and the United State, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

A nominee's status as a member of a historically marginalized group is not considered in the selection of award recipients.

Research should align with Google AI Principles .

Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

How are Google PhD Fellowships given?

Any monetary awards will be paid directly to the Fellow's university for distribution. No overhead should be assessed against them.

What are the intellectual property implications of a Google PhD Fellowship?

Fellowship recipients are not subject to intellectual property restrictions unless they complete an internship at Google. If that is the case, they are subject to the same intellectual property restrictions as any other Google intern.

Will the Fellowship recipients become employees of Google?

No, Fellowship recipients do not become employees of Google due to receiving the award. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If they are interested in working at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

Can Fellowship recipients also be considered for other Google scholarships?

Yes, Fellowship recipients are eligible for these scholarships .

After award notification, when do the Google PhD Fellowships begin?

After Google PhD Fellowship recipients are notified, the Fellowship is effective starting the following school year.

What is the program application time period?

Applications for the 2024 program will open in March 2024 and close in May 2024 for all regions. Refer to the main Google PhD Fellowship Program page for each region’s application details.

A global awards announcement will be made in September on the Google Research Blog publicly announcing all award recipients.

How can I ask additional questions?

Due to the volume of emails we receive, we may not be able to respond to questions where the answer is available on the website. If your question has not been answered by a FAQ, email:

Africa: [email protected]

Australia and New Zealand: [email protected]

Canada and the United States: [email protected]

East Asia: [email protected]

Europe: [email protected]

India: [email protected]

Latin America: [email protected]

Southeast Asia: [email protected]

See past PhD Fellowship recipients.

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• Data Scientist

Google Data Scientist Salaries

Data Scientist compensation in United States at Google ranges from $148K per year for L3 to $881K per year for L8. The median compensation in United States package totals $279K. View the base salary, stock, and bonus breakdowns for Google's total compensation packages. Last updated: 8/29/2024

Average Compensation By Level .css-s9ggwg{z-index:1500;pointer-events:none;}.css-s9ggwg[data-popper-placement*="bottom"] .MuiTooltip-arrow{top:0;margin-top:-0.71em;}.css-s9ggwg[data-popper-placement*="bottom"] .MuiTooltip-arrow::before{transform-origin:0 100%;}.css-s9ggwg[data-popper-placement*="top"] .MuiTooltip-arrow{bottom:0;margin-bottom:-0.71em;}.css-s9ggwg[data-popper-placement*="top"] .MuiTooltip-arrow::before{transform-origin:100% 0;}.css-s9ggwg[data-popper-placement*="right"] .MuiTooltip-arrow{left:0;margin-left:-0.71em;height:1em;width:0.71em;}.css-s9ggwg[data-popper-placement*="right"] .MuiTooltip-arrow::before{transform-origin:100% 100%;}.css-s9ggwg[data-popper-placement*="left"] .MuiTooltip-arrow{right:0;margin-right:-0.71em;height:1em;width:0.71em;}.css-s9ggwg[data-popper-placement*="left"] .MuiTooltip-arrow::before{transform-origin:0 0;}

Given Google sometimes issues offers with an irregular vesting schedule (33%, 33%, 22%, 12%), the average total compensation is calculated by dividing the total stock grant evenly by 4

Latest Salary Submissions

Vesting Schedule

At Google, Main RSUs are subject to a 4-year vesting schedule:

38 % vests in the 1st -year ( 3.17 % monthly )

32 % vests in the 2nd -year ( 2.67 % monthly )

20 % vests in the 3rd -year ( 1.67 % monthly )

10 % vests in the 4th -year ( 0.83 % monthly )

33 % vests in the 1st -year ( 2.75 % monthly )

33 % vests in the 2nd -year ( 2.75 % monthly )

22 % vests in the 3rd -year ( 1.83 % monthly )

12 % vests in the 4th -year ( 1.00 % monthly )

Google commonly refers to RSU as GSU (Google Stock Unit). Although the name is different, it is the same as RSU's. Google's Vesting Schedule may vary between monthly and quarterly vesting depending on the number of shares you recieve: less than 32 GSUs (Annually), 32 - 63 GSUs (Semi-annually), 64 - 159 GSUs (Quarterly) and 160+ GSUs (Monthly).

50 % vests in the 1st -year ( 4.17 % monthly )

28 % vests in the 2nd -year ( 2.33 % monthly )

12 % vests in the 3rd -year ( 1.00 % monthly )

36 % vests in the 1st -year ( 3.00 % monthly )

16 % vests in the 4th -year ( 1.33 % monthly )

25 % vests in the 1st -year ( 2.08 % monthly )

25 % vests in the 2nd -year ( 2.08 % monthly )

25 % vests in the 3rd -year ( 2.08 % monthly )

25 % vests in the 4th -year ( 2.08 % monthly )

25 % vests in the 1st -year ( 6.25 % quarterly )

25 % vests in the 2nd -year ( 6.25 % quarterly )

25 % vests in the 3rd -year ( 6.25 % quarterly )

25 % vests in the 4th -year ( 6.25 % quarterly )

At Google, Main RSUs are subject to a 3-year vesting schedule:

33 % vests in the 1st -year ( 8.25 % quarterly )

33 % vests in the 2nd -year ( 8.25 % quarterly )

34 % vests in the 3rd -year ( 8.50 % quarterly )

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Google Research Scientist Salary

Below you’ll find our most up-to-date salary data for L4-L6 research scientist roles at Google as of April 2023. Rora has coached hundreds of MLEs and research scientists over the past 5 years across many of the best companies in the industry (DeepMind, OpenAI, Google Brain, Anthropic, FAIR, MSR, Tesla) and reviewed 1000s of verified offers. In addition to comp numbers, we’ve also included some helpful context below on how Google compares to the highest AI salaries in the industry, taking into account the generative AI wave and the current tech hiring pullback.

L4 Google Research Scientist Salary

2023 Top of Band Numbers

Base Salary

Equity (4-years)

Signing Bonus

Performance Bonus

While Google often lowballs, they are also the company where we see the most extreme above band offers. For L4 RS roles we've negotiated $200K base, $1.25M in equity and over $100K as the signing bonus. This is an extreme outlier though and in most cases you should target the numbers outlined above.

L5 Google Research Scientist Salary

We've seen equity go as high as $1.8M for L5 RS roles in the past year. But, top of band is closer to $1.2M as of April 2023.

L6 Google Research Scientist Salary

For L6+ ML roles the bands are very wide. You should use the numbers above as a guide but each offer should be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.

ML/AI Compensation Landscape

To call the current AI hiring market unique would be an understatement. On one hand, big tech companies are doing frequent layoffs and freezing hiring for many groups. But simultaneously, hundreds of tech companies have declared AI their top priority for the next few years and are ramping up hiring in this area. As a result, we’ve seen huge variance in AI offers, with careful negotiation making the difference since companies and recruiters are struggling to balance budgets while hitting AI growth goals.

Recently we shared a detailed report on salary negotiation for AI Researchers in 2023, which included this table outlining the highest offers from our recent PHD negotiations. While top of band is not always achievable, it is still a good guide for which companies are paying the most and how much can still be negotiated despite a slower hiring market.

Research Scientist Negotiations

As you can see from the table above, salary negotiation can still significantly impact total compensation. Many research scientists we speak with say it is hard to get a sense for current negotiation strategies as the market is so different now compared to even 1 year ago. To help with that, we’ve compiled a number of resources below that we’d recommend you review before starting any negotiation.

First, the salary negotiation section of this article ( 2023 AI salary Negotiation Report ) is certainly worth a read.

Additionally, it’s often helpful to just hear first-hand accounts of other people going through the negotiation process. As you will see, recruiters are certainly putting more consistent pressure on candidates, but this can be managed throughout the negotiation.

• Deepmind and Databricks Research Engineer Negotiation
• FAIR & DeepMind Research Scientist Salary Negotiation
• Facebook and Google Research Scientist Salary Negotiation ‍

Hopefully these resources will help, but each negotiation is unique, and the best next step would be to jump on a free 1-1 call with a negotiation lead from Rora.

1:1 Salary Negotiation Support

We've negotiated more than $25m in google offers this year. our largest google increase was $720k..

Step 1 is defining the strategy, which often starts by helping you create leverage for your negotiation (e.g. setting up conversations with FAANG recruiters).

Step 2 we decide on anchor numbers and target numbers with the goal of securing a top of band offer, based on our internal verified data sets.

Step 3 we create custom scripts for each of your calls, practice multiple 1:1 mock negotiations, and join your recruiter calls to guide you via chat.

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Beginners -> /r/learnmachinelearning , AGI -> /r/singularity, career advices -> /r/cscareerquestions

[D] Salaries for ML

I'm curious to hear what the crowd here is earning. There's a similar discussion over at HN (yes, I started it), but it's always better to get more data points. As always, transparency helps everyone.

Small Co | Greater Boston Area | PhD + 5 years

Options/RSUs: Lots of funny money

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