Google boss’ big vision for joined-up science

The Chairman of Alphabet Inc – the parent company of Google – has announced a new post-doctoral fellowship programme with the goal of enhancing cross-disciplinary research.

Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy, in partnership with the University of Oxford-based Rhodes Trust, set up the $25 million Schmidt Science Fellows program for 10 to 15 Fellows in the natural sciences, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. The selected scholars will receive a stipend of $100,000 for the program, which will include advanced research at a leading laboratory in a scientific discipline different from their core area of study.

Speaking to Laboratory News, Charles Conn – the Warden of Rhodes House – said: “At the end of the fellowship we think the post-docs will be ready for scientific leadership. And not just the leadership of their laboratory of department, but thought leadership as well. Scientists at this stage of their career can have a very narrow and deep knowledge, this program will aim to complement this by exposing them to new science and technology, novel ways of thinking, and a broader network of colleagues who can help guide their success as leaders.”

Future leaders

The program will also feature five weeks of high-level courses and group programs that will explore a diverse range of scientific advances, conversations with some of the world’s preeminent scientific and societal leaders, and immersive leadership experiences that will help Fellows build support for their future work.

“This is an unprecedented era of scientific progress, when artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology and other breakthroughs can dramatically advance fields as disparate as civil engineering, biochemistry and computer science,” said Eric Schmidt. “To address society’s most pressing issues, our best scientists and technologists in all disciplines will need to work effectively with non-profits, government, and business. This program will help our Fellows develop skills that accelerate the pace of research and discovery in their future work, and will encourage them to serve as the next generation of scientific leaders.”

Applications for the program are due by 31 December , 2017. The first class of Fellows will be announced in the spring of 2018, and will begin the program in the summer. The program will grow in successive years, ultimately admitting 35 to 50 Fellows annually.

https://schmidtsciencefellows.org/fellows-selection/