Fellowships for PhD Students
The AI2AI initiative invites applications from outstanding PhD students for fellowships in the 2026–2027 academic year. Awardees, designated as Amazon Fellows, will receive a full stipend, 20% tuition, and student health insurance for the fall 2026 and spring 2027 semesters.
About Amazon's Approach to AI
Amazon builds and deploys AI across three technology layers: the bottom layer consists of Amazon's own high-performance and cost-effective custom chips, as well as a variety of other computing options including from third parties. The middle layer focuses on customer choice by providing the broadest selection of Foundation Models — both Amazon-built and those from other leading providers. At the top layer, Amazon offers generative AI applications and services to improve every customer experience.
Three things distinguish Amazon's approach to AI development and deployment:
- Maintaining a strategic focus on improving the customer and employee experience through practical, real-world applications of AI.
- Marshaling world-class data, compute, and talent resources to drive AI innovation.
- Committing to the development of responsible, reliable, and trustworthy AI.
Topics of Interest
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, those below. Please feel free to bring your own unique viewpoint and expertise to these topics.
Foundation Model Improvements
Foundation Model / Agentic Evaluation
Efficient Generative AI & Efficient Inference
Reasoning
Knowledge Grounding
Agentic AI
Personalization
Responsible Generative AI
AI Accelerated Science and Engineering Innovation
Eligibility
Open to full-time doctoral students who are...
- In the 3rd year or higher of a PhD program at JHU, pursuing research in one of the topical areas listed above or related areas.
- Have passed their home department’s required PhD qualifying exams.
- Have a faculty member serving as PhD thesis advisor.
- Remain an active, full-time student in a PhD program during the fellowship period.
Students of any citizenship/nationality are eligible.
Students that are ALREADY supported by another industry-sponsored fellowship are NOT eligible..
Important Deadlines
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| February 24, 2026 | Call for fellowships open. Eligible graduate students should apply through the portal following the instructions below. |
| April 27, 2026 | Submission deadline. Applicants will complete the application form through the research portal and upload: a 2-page proposal/personal statement (recommended 2 pages plus references), CV, and letters of recommendation (2 maximum). |
| June 30, 2026 | Acceptance notification. All Fellows will be notified by or before this date. |
| August / September 2026 | Fellowships expected to begin Fall quarter/semester. |
Application Instructions
Amazon uses a dedicated proposal management portal for all submissions. To submit your fellowship application:
| 1 | Register | Complete the user registration form at the Amazon Academic Research Portal. |
| 2 | Set Up Your Profile | Select your institution and choose Graduate student or PhD student as your Professional Role to access open applications. |
| 3 | Submit | Click Submit New Proposal in the top banner and select your target funding opportunity. |
| 4 | Review Requirements | Carefully read the submission requirements, instructions, and deadlines before proceeding. |
| 5 | Prepare & Upload Materials | Complete the application form and upload:
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