MIDAS is pleased to announce the arrival of the 2026 cohort of postdocs, including the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellows (AISP), the Eric and Wendy Schmidt African Faculty Fellows (AFF), and the Michigan Data Science (MDS) Fellows. They were joined by the 2026 cohort of the MIDAS Postdoctoral Affiliates (PA).
Over this three-day event, the postdocs learned about one another’s research, explored U-M resources, and received hands-on training for AI deployment in research. The Bootcamp introduced the Fellows to the people, tools, and community that will support their research and professional development throughout their time at MIDAS.
Bootcamp Day 1
The postdocs introduced their backgrounds and research projects through lightning talks. They met MIDAS staff, program leaders, and faculty mentors. Sessions highlighted U-M high-performance computing and AI resources. Program co-director Bill Currie (SEAS) provided incoming Fellows with guidance and advice on making the most of one’s Fellowship.
Bootcamp Day 2
The second day centered on a team-based AI hackathon, a classic computer-vision task: training a convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify images of different animals. With the support of MIDAS staff scientists Nathan Fox, Frank Hu, and Ali Bolcakan, the postdocs built essential skills for accessing, deploying, and optimizing AI models for research.
Bootcamp Day 3
On the final day, the postdocs connected with current Fellows, alumni, and MIDAS program leadership. An alumni panel and cohort exchange offered perspectives on making the most of the fellowship experience, building productive collaborations, and participating in the broader MIDAS community. MIDAS Executive Director Jing Liu spoke to Fellows about the program’s goals, contextualizing their Fellowship in the broader AI-for-science landscape.
AI Carpentries
A cornerstone of AI-for-science training for MIDAS postdocs is the AI Carpentries: Fellow-organized, AI-centered working groups. During Bootcamp, the Fellows heard presentations from past Carpentry participants, identified shared interests in AI methodologies and scientific domains, and proposed new groups. Over the course of their Fellowships, postdocs will meet regularly through their Carpentries to participate in activities such as journal clubs, collaborative AI-tool development, peer learning, and workshop development.
The newly proposed AI Carpentry topics include robotics, geospatial data, healthcare, materials science, smart infrastructure systems, and AI and machine learning fundamentals. MIDAS postdocs form a community of 40+ scholars applying AI to a wide range of scientific domains and application areas. Over the coming two years, the new postdocs will pursue bold and risky projects, pushing the bounds of what scientists can achieve with cutting-edge AI methods.
Interested in becoming a MIDAS Postdoc?
The following Fellowships are accepting applications now for the 2027 cohort:
- The Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship (due Nov 23, 2026)MIDAS postdocs form a community of 40+ scholars applying AI to a wide range of scientific domains and application areas. Over the coming two years, the new postdocs will pursue bold and risky projects, pushing the bounds of what scientists can achieve with cutting-edge AI methods.
- The Eric and Wendy Schmidt African Faculty Fellowship (Phase 1 applications due Oct 5, 2026)