Postgraduate Scholarships: The Application is currently open for the Stellenbosch University DeepMind Scholarships for African Students 2023. This is a scholarship sponsored with the goal of promoting Artificial intelligence and machine learning in Africa.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning expertise on the African continent is set to grow significantly, thanks to prestigious scholarships for postgraduate studies at Stellenbosch University in applied mathematics, statistics, electrical and electronic engineering, and computer science (SU).
DeepMind, a London-based world leader in artificial intelligence research and application, has awarded these scholarships to SU as the first African university. DeepMind was founded in London in 2010, and its DeepMind Scholarships are part of the company’s larger initiative to broaden participation in science and support the larger research ecosystem, including in Africa.
The MSc in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence at Stellenbosch University is a one-year structured master’s program designed for students with a strong mathematical and computational background. It will provide you with the fundamentals of ML and AI, as well as a suite of sophisticated techniques and concepts at the cutting edge of these fields’ research.
About Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a public research university in Stellenbosch, South Africa’s Western Cape province. Together with the University of Cape Town, which received full university status on the same day in 1918, Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Saharan Africa. SUNSAT, Africa’s first microsatellite, was designed and built by Stellenbosch University (abbreviated as SU) and launched in 1999.
Stellenbosch University was the first African university to sign the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Scientific and Humanities Knowledge.
These scholarships will be available to students from all over Sub-Saharan Africa who want to conduct machine learning research, with recipients chosen by the University to begin their courses in 2022. The DeepMind Scholarship program provides talented students from underrepresented groups in machine learning, such as women, with the financial support they need to study at top universities. Fees are paid in full, and DeepMind mentors provide guidance and support to recipients.
Brief Scholarship Summary
Sponsor(s): Stellenbosch University
Academic Level: Postgraduate
Eligible Countries: African Countries
Application Deadline: 31 August 2022
Full Scholarship Benefit
The Stellenbosch University scholarships will cover university fees, health insurance, accommodation, living expenses, and opportunities for international conference attendance. Recipients will also benefit from mentorship by DeepMind researchers.
Eligibility Requirement for Stellenbosch University Scholarship
Below is the eligibility requirement for Stellenbosch University Scholarships programme:
- Scholarships are open to anyone from Africa. Preference will be given to applicants from groups across the continent that are underrepresented in the global machine learning landscape. Shortlisted applicants may be invited for online interviews.
- Awarded scholarships will be conditioned on formal acceptance into full-time postgraduate studies at Stellenbosch University, with a research topic focusing on machine learning to be approved by the scholarship committee.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should click on the application button to begin the application process and follow the steps below:
- Go to the applicant portal on SUNStudent, create a profile if you haven’t already, and log in.
- Click on “Programme selection”.
- Faculty: “Faculty of Science-Stellenbosch”
- Program type: “Postgraduate”
- Program: “MSc (Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence)”, full-time or part-time
- Complete the required information from the menus on the left panel.
- Under “Upload documents” you will be asked for:
- a comprehensive CV
- a letter of motivation
- a statement of research interest
The letter of motivation can be short (1 page), on why you want to complete this program, what you hope to get out of it, and what you might want to do after the program. The statement of research interest can be a short (1 page) letter on any specific interests you currently have within the fields of ML and AI.
- Note that you do not need to identify an academic supervisor. Accepted students will have an opportunity to speak to potential supervisors and indicate research project preferences after the program’s start.
- If you are happy with the terms, submit your application. Note that there is an application fee of R100 for South African applicants (no fee for international applicants or current SU students).
For general information on the online application process, study fees, support services, and more visit this page on Stellenbosch University’s website for prospective postgraduate students.