Application Process

Program Overview
Application Process
FAQ
Prospective Mentors
Postdoctoral Fellows
The application deadline for the 2026 Schmidt AI in Science program is now closed. Please stay tuned for the 2027 application details.
Scientific Scope Eligibility Expectations Application Process Application Package Timeline Selection Criteria Submission Questions

Scientific Scope

This postdoctoral program supports postdoctoral researchers (Fellows) who apply AI methodologies to address significant research questions in science and engineering. AI is defined broadly to include machine learning, robotics, Bayesian inference, and simulation.

This Fellowship accepts applicants seeking to use AI methodologies in the following scientific domains:

  • Biological and biomedical science (*see exclusion criteria below)
  • Earth and environmental science
  • Engineering
  • Physical science and mathematics

*Exclusion criteria: Biological, biomedical, or healthcare research proposals with a focus on developing or improving disease diagnosis, prevention, or treatment are out of scope for this Fellowship. Biological and biomedical research for this Fellowship must focus on basic biological processes and/or disease mechanisms and propagation (in silico, in vitro, or animal models).

Please note that there is a sister postdoctoral program at MIDAS, the Michigan Data Science (MDS) Fellows Program, which focuses on data science methodology and applications in social science and healthcare research. Potential applicants whose research is out of scope of the Schmidt AI in Science postdoctoral program may consider applying to the MDS Fellows program.

The application deadline for the 2026 cohort was November 30, 2025.

Eligibility

Applicant Eligibility

  • This program seeks to support early-career researchers. Therefore, the candidate must have a PhD that (1) is conferred before the Fellowship start date (August or September, 2026) and (2) was received after Sept. 1, 2021. 
  • The candidate’s PhD can be in any field. (Note the science and engineering domains listed above that are in scope: these apply to the area of proposed work, but not to the field of the candidate’s PhD.)
  • It is acceptable for the candidate to already have a postdoc position, whether at U-M or elsewhere. 
  • Candidates who are current U-M postdocs or U-M PhD students before Sept 1, 2025 are considered internal candidates. Internal candidates are eligible to apply only if BOTH their proposed project AND proposed faculty mentors are substantially different from their current ones (see “Faculty Mentor Eligibility” below). 
  • The candidate should not have had a faculty appointment anywhere that is equivalent to a North American university’s tenure-track position. 
  • The ideal candidate will have training in both AI (at least one sub-area) and the science domain discipline. However, this may not be the case for many candidates.
    • We require that a candidate have deep expertise in at least one of the two: either AI methodologies or the domain science discipline, in conjunction with demonstrated interest in the other.  
    • The key requirement is evidence of excellence and a passion for the proposed research direction at the intersection of two disciplines. 

Faculty Mentor Eligibility

  • Each candidate must identify two (2) U-M faculty mentors who are willing to support them for the duration of their Fellowship (2 years). One must be an AI Mentor, with expertise in the proposed AI methodology. The other must be a Science Mentor, with expertise in the proposed science domain. 
  • This Fellowship seeks to foster new collaborations. For that reason, a U-M applicant’s prior or current faculty mentor is ineligible to act as a faculty mentor for this postdoc program. 
  • In the same spirit, applicants whose AI and Science Mentors have appointments in two different departments will be viewed favorably.
  • Prospective mentors may submit letters of support for more than one applicant in a year, but at most one of these will be selected across all MIDAS research Fellowships. Therefore, supporting more than one candidate in a year will effectively eliminate all but one candidate.
  • Additionally, MIDAS seeks to cultivate capacity for AI research across the U-M community. For this reason, each U-M faculty member can serve as mentor for at most one (1) Fellow every two years across all MIDAS research Fellowships (including the Schmidt Postdoctoral Fellowship, the African Faculty Fellowship, and the Michigan Data Science Fellowship). 

Note: All current mentors are listed in the faculty directory, here. Any mentor for the 2025 cohort is ineligible to serve as a faculty mentor for any MIDAS research Fellowship for this application cycle. It is advisable that applicants check their prospective mentors’ eligibility and discuss these requirements with them. 

List of Prospective AI Mentors

Click here for the a list of prospective AI Mentors.

Expectations

Fellows are expected to successfully implement their research and training plans and actively participate in collaborative learning and other program activities. They are expected to spend at least 50% of time in-person at MIDAS’s postdoctoral office space (currently at 3520 Green Court, Ann Arbor). In addition, Fellows will be expected to build professional service experience through contributing ~10% of their effort to programmatic activities including but not limited to training, coordinating research collaboration, and building research tools. 

Faculty mentors are expected to devote sufficient time to provide research and career guidance to the Fellows, meet with them regularly, attend Fellowship Committee Meetings twice a year, and help Fellows seek opportunities for career advancement. They are also required to cover all the costs of the Fellows’ research, including research space, lab facilities, computers, computing resources, and data access; travel to research conferences (at least two each year); publication costs; and visa fees. The faculty mentors may wish to make desk space available in their research groups as well.

Faculty mentors are also expected to actively participate in the Schmidt postdoc program activities in MIDAS, including being the champions for the program, reviewing applications, and participating in collaborative learning sessions, among others.

The Application Process

  • An applicant will need to first secure interest from two U-M faculty members who agree to be their Science Mentor and AI Mentor respectively. See the FAQ for how to find mentors, and a list of faculty members who are interested in serving as AI mentors.
    • An applicant may reach out to any U-M faculty member(s) to inquire. 
    • If one faculty member agrees to be a mentor, they may work with the applicant together to secure a second mentor.
    • If needed, the program team will help identify AI mentors. Please email [email protected].
  • Applicants are encouraged to consult with the mentors extensively about the research statement and their career goals before submitting the application.

The Application Package

The application materials below must be uploaded separately to the application form. All documents must be in .pdf format, prepared with legible formatting, including a 1-inch margin on all sides. 

  • The candidate’s CV.
  • AI Keywords: Please list up to 3 keywords describing specific AI methodologies/approaches you will be applying.
  • A Research Tagline: A phrase describing your overall research goals, no more than 8 words. Accepted applicants will have this tagline posted on the program website. 
  • A Research Blurb:
    • A short description of the candidate’s research goals as a MIDAS Fellow, written in the third person for a generalist audience. In other words, people outside of the candidate’s discipline(s) should be able to understand their work and why it is important. It should be written with a mix of technical expertise and generalist explanation. 300 words maximum. 
    • Note: accepted applicants will have this summary posted on the program website. 
  • Research Statement, up to 2 pages single spaced, font size 10 and above, including:
    • A compelling vision and a plausible approach to achieving that vision. Note that the program seeks to promote research that is transformative and creative, with the potential to spur significant advances in the application of AI in science domains. The statement should also describe the feasibility of the initial scope of the proposed research and its potential to grow into a sustained research program for an independent research career.
    • Qualifications that make the applicant particularly suitable for this program.
    • Essential citations used in the research statement should be included in the 2 pages.
  • Individualized Development Plan (IDP), up to 2 pages, font size 10 and above, including:
    • Past accomplishments and current skills that will contribute to the applicant’s success in this postdoctoral training program. 
    • The AI expertise the applicant will need to acquire during the Fellowship and an initial learning plan that may consist of a variety of formal and informal options.
    • Long-term career aspirations, including research, professional development, and career goals, and how this Fellowship will benefit those.
    • How the applicant will contribute to the Program.
  • Responsible AI Statement, up to ½ page, font size 10 and above. Applicants should describe their approaches to responsible AI research. From the rigor of study design and the explainability of models, to the unbiased use of data and algorithms, and to data sharing and making a research project fully reproducible, responsible AI is critical to both science and society. While such issues may be particularly salient with human subjects or societal impacts, all researchers need to take into consideration the effect of flawed data, brittle analyses, and irreproducible results.
  • Your Three Best Papers: Upload three written works that best reflect your accomplishments and expertise as a researcher. Publications in peer-reviewed journals will be evaluated most highly, but preprints, working papers, public-facing science writing, and other research-related writing are also appropriate. These should be works where you are a primary contributor.
  • A Letter of Support from each proposed faculty mentor (AI Mentor and Science Mentor). This is not a reference letter. Instead, this is similar to a letter of support that is included in a training grant, delineating the applicant’s qualifications, the significance of the research project, the fit with this program, and a plan to mentor the applicant and to support their career development. In order to be eligible, each Mentor Letter must contain exactly the following language:
    • As a mentor for the Schmidt Postdoctoral Fellowship, I affirm my understanding and support for the program requirements as outlined in the call for applications and program website, including the following: (1) I will support my Fellow’s attendance and participation in programmatic and training activities, including 50% in-person time at the MIDAS postdoctoral offices; (2) the Fellow’s other mentor and I will jointly cover all costs of the Fellows’ research, including research space, lab facilities, computers, computing resources, data access, travel to research conferences (at least two each year), publication fees, and other necessary costs, such as visa fees when applicable; and (3) I agree to review applications for future cohorts of MIDAS Fellows. 
  • 2-3 References – contact info. Applicants will be prompted to provide the names and contact information for individuals who can speak to the applicant’s training, skills, and experiences pertinent to this program. These individuals will be contacted via email to provide a letter of recommendation on the applicant’s behalf.
    • Note: You are able to send requests for Reference Letters before you submit your final application. It is strongly encouraged that you send reference requests in a manner that gives your Referees a reasonable amount of time to complete your reference before the November 30 application deadline.

Timeline

  • Priority deadline: 11:59 pm EST, Nov. 30, 2025. All applications received by this deadline will be given full consideration. 
  • Offers will start to be sent out in early February 2026.
  • Accepted Fellows will have two weeks to decide whether to accept the offer.
  • The expected start date will be in August or September, 2026, negotiable for special cases.

Selection Criteria

  • Fit with the program: Whether the proposed research vision and the specific project align with the program scope.
  • Candidate qualification: The candidate’s past experience and accomplishments in both AI and domain research; the candidate’s potential to become a research leader of the next generation: their willingness to take risks, creativity and originality, curiosity, collaborative spirit, entrepreneurship, and the ability to think big, as reflected in their past accomplishments and proposed plans.
  • Research statement: The vision, the approach, and initial feasibility, the potential of making groundbreaking discoveries, the potential of becoming a sustained research portfolio after the Fellow leaves the program. 
  • Skills development: The candidate’s potential to acquire strong AI skills for the proposed research and long-term impact in the field; evidence that the candidate and mentors have carefully thought about the needs for skills development and are committed to it.
  • Mentors: Whether the selection of mentors is appropriate for the research project, the training plan, and career development, as well as consistency among the mentor’s letters and the explicit commitment of the mentors in participating in the broader program.
  • For University of Michigan internal applicants: Whether the proposed research is significantly different from the current research and whether the proposed mentors are different from current ones.

Submission

Applications for the 2026 cohort are now closed. Check back for information regarding the 2027 cohort.

Questions?

For questions, please contact [email protected] and see the FAQ page.

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