For a third consecutive year, two DeepMind graduate scholarships will be made available in the academic year 2022/2023. They are for students wishing to pursue a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and Information Extraction and Knowledge Discovery at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics (FMI) of Sofia University. These scholarships aim to attract talented Bulgarian students from groups that are currently underrepresented in AI, specifically those who identify as female or from a low-income background.
The DeepMind scholarships aim to change the lives of students who would not be able to take up the offer of admission without financial assistance and improve the diversity of the field. In addition to financial support, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to attend industry events organised by DeepMind, receive a travel grant to attend an international research conference, and will be matched with a DeepMind mentor.
The students will also receive mentorship from the “Big Data for Smart Society” (GATE) Institute at Sofia University, which initiated the collaboration with DeepMind. Professor Sylvia Ilieva, Director of GATE Institute, says: “The Institute is very much appreciating the DeepMind’s commitment to supporting graduate education in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at FMI. Our goal is to deliver the best possible education to talented students, irrespective of their background. The scholarship programme is a huge boost for us in our mission to attract young people to Big Data and AI careers.”
Obum Ekeke, education and university partnerships lead at DeepMind said “We’re delighted to strengthen our relationship with Sofia University through the DeepMind scholarship programme. By removing some of the financial barriers that prevent people from applying to postgraduate study and providing mentoring and pastoral support, we hope to support the efforts of the Eastern Europe Machine Learning Summer School (EEMLS) and others, to encourage Bulgarian students from all walks of life to consider postgraduate study in AI.”