The Al-Khwarizmi Graduate Fellowship scheme invites applications for doctoral fellowships, with the submission deadline of 22 January 2021, 17:00 CET. The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with support from the European Science Foundation (ESF) launches a competitive doctoral fellowship scheme to welcome students from the European continent for a research journey to a top international university in the Middle East. The applications will be evaluated via an independent peer-review process managed by the ESF. The selected applicants will be offered generous stipends and free tuition for Ph.D. studies within one of KAUST academic programs. Strong applicants who were not awarded a Fellowship but passed KAUST admission requirements will be offered the possibility to join the University as regular Ph.D. students with the standard benefits that include the usual stipends and free tuition.
Terms of Fellowships
- The duration of the Fellowships is three years. Extensions may be considered in duly justified cases.
- The Fellows receive a USD 38,000 annual living allowance.
- The Fellows are provided with free tuition, free student housing on campus, relocation support, and medical and dental coverage for the duration of the Fellowship.
- Each Fellowship includes a supplementary grant of USD 6,000 at the Fellow’s disposal for research-related expenses such as conference attendance.
- The academic progress of the Fellows will be reviewed on an annual basis. The Fellowships may be terminated if the Fellows fail to meet KAUST academic requirements for Ph.D. students.
- The applications must be submitted in two steps, with the formal documents and transcripts to be submitted to KAUST Admissions in Step 1, and the research proposal to be submitted to the ESF in Step 2. Both steps should be completed in parallel before the call deadline.
Host organization
The Al-Khwarizmi Graduate Fellowships are named after the 9th century Middle Eastern mathematician whose major works introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals and the concepts of algebra into European mathematics. Al-Khwarizmi worked at the "House of Wisdom", the world-leading center of the scholarship at that time. KAUST, an 11-year-old international university conceived as a modern successor to the historical House of Wisdom, will host the Al-Khwarizmi Fellows. The University focuses on the advancement of science and technology through cutting-edge research integrated with graduate education in science and technology areas. Being a multi-cultural environment, with over 100 different nationalities on campus, the University strives to serve as a beacon of knowledge that bridges people and cultures for the betterment of humanity. KAUST features a modern, self-sufficient campus on the coast of the Red Sea with state-of-the-art research infrastructure. As a small graduate-only university, KAUST emphasizes research excellence; it ranks #1 in the world in QS ranking in the category of "Citations per Faculty" and #1 in the a3 ranking of top 20 universities under 20 years of age.
Eligibility requirements
- Applicants must either hold an MSc degree (or equivalent) in one of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines or be in the final year of their MSc studies. The Fellowship award will be subject to candidates presenting their MSc degree (or equivalent) certificates to the KAUST Office of Admissions in summer 2021 at the very latest.
- Applicants must submit a research proposal following a pre-defined template (see Step 2 of the application process). Only one application per candidate is allowed. Only complete proposals in which all sections are filled with relevant information will be evaluated. Proposals with missing information will not go to the peer review stage.
- Applicants must have demonstrated excellence in their previous studies. A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent during the MSc studies is required. The equivalent of GPA can be calculated for grades obtained in other systems such as ECTS based on various resources available online, such as the tables provided by the OECD.
- The proposed research topic must be in an area represented in any of the three academic divisions of KAUST.
- Applicants must pass all KAUST admission requirements for the Ph.D. degree program.
- Applicants must be either nationals or residents of one of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe (CoE).
- Good command of English evidenced by a minimum TOEFL score of 79 on the IBT (Internet Based Test) or 6.0 on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). A TOEFL or IELTS score is not required if the applicant received a degree from an accredited institution in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand.
- A separate interview may be conducted to assess the applicant’s motivation and good fit for the program and the University.
- The application must be submitted in English before 22 January 2021, 17:00 CET.
