October 21, 2025
Amazon launches AI PhD Fellowship program with UW
The University of Washington is one of nine universities to receive two years of funding totaling nearly $10 million annually from Amazon’s new AI PhD Fellowship program, which was announced on Tuesday. The UW will receive $2.2 million over two years.
More than 100 doctoral students across the country are eligible based on their pursuit of research on core AI disciplines such as machine learning, computer vision and natural-language processing.
The program’s goal is to support innovations that will underwrite the next step in the evolution of practical AI. The $10 million in student funding will be awarded annually for each of the two academic years, 2024–2025 and 2025–2026. Another $24 million will be given annually in Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud-computing credits, bringing the program’s total value to $68 million over two years.
Each doctoral fellow will be paired with an Amazon research liaison, a senior scientist working on a topic related to the fellow’s work. Liaisons will meet regularly with fellows to offer guidance and discuss real-world implications of their research. Fellows will also have opportunities to pursue their projects over the summers as Amazon interns.
“We’re proud to be part of this impactful initiative and deeply grateful to Amazon for its investment in the next generation of AI leaders,” said Nancy Allbritton, Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering at the University of Washington. “Having nine of our students selected — seven from the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering — is a testament to the strength of our AI research community and the caliber of our doctoral programs. This fellowship will accelerate their work on real-world challenges and deepen our collaborative ties with Amazon. Together we’ll shape the future of AI to solve real-world challenges and advance technologies that benefit society.”
Universities selected fellows by following guidance from Amazon to prioritize work that promises to make an impact on practical AI problems. A complete list of UW fellows will be announced at a later date.
Funding is intended to cover tuition, stipends and fees. Each university receives $1.1 million per year, and the number of fellows funded varies according to the universities’ financial arrangements with students.
Other participating universities are: Carnegie Mellon University; Johns Hopkins University; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Stanford University; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Texas at Austin; and the University of Illinois–Urbana Champaign.
The University of Washington enjoys existing research collaborations with Amazon, through the Amazon Hubs program, the Amazon Scholar program, Amazon Research Awards and other initiatives.
For more information: Amazon launches $68 million AI PhD Fellowship program – Amazon Science
Tag(s): College of Engineering • Nancy Allbritton • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering