Meta Supporting PhD students engaged in innovative research in the USA (Fully Funded)

The Meta Research PhD Fellowship is a global program designed to encourage and support promising doctoral students who are engaged in innovative and relevant research in areas related to computer science and engineering at an accredited university.

The program is open to students in any year of their PhD study. We also encourage people of diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply, especially those from traditionally under-represented minority groups. Applications are evaluated based on the strength of the student’s research statement, publication record, and recommendation letters.

Winners of the Fellowship are entitled to receive two years of paid tuition and fees, a $42,000 annual stipend to cover living costs, various opportunities to engage with Meta researchers, and an invitation to the annual Fellowship Summit.

Rights to Research

Having funded over 200 students from around the world since the Fellowship program’s conception, we are proud to continue supporting exceptional PhD scholars in a variety of technology research domains. With the addition of close mentorship, the Meta Research PhD program aims to engage with our Fellowship winners, learn alongside them, and discover emerging opportunities in industry together.

Meta does not claim any right to work performed during or as a result of the Fellowship. All research conducted by the Fellow belongs to the Fellow. This excludes any work completed as a Meta employee, should the Fellow do an internship or consult during their Fellowship.

Eligibility Criteria

You are eligible to apply for the program as long as you are:

• Enrolled in a PhD program at an accredited university in the fall following the application cycle (i.e., Fall 2023)
• Engaged in research related to computer science and engineering in areas relevant to Meta, as specified in the Available Fellowships section

The program is open to students at all accredited universities around the world.

You would not be eligible if you are:

• Graduating before the fall following each application cycle
• Planning on working at another competitor company part-time while participating in the Fellowship
• A contingent worker at Meta. We cannot pay the CW wage and the stipend concurrently.
• A Meta AI Resident
• Planning on doing a part-time internship with a competitor during the academic year (fall/spring). You can do an internship at another company in the summer before Fellowship or in the summer between academic years during Fellowship. This includes internship extensions into the fall.

We will not be offering awards to candidates whose research is outside the specified research areas described in the Available Fellowships section. Please review each Available Fellowship description carefully to ensure you are aligned with the correct research area.

We are currently unable to provide funding for undergrads, graduates in different disciplines, or alternative funding such as small grants.

How to Apply

Applications Must Include

1. CV or resume. There is no page limit to the resume or CV. In this case, it may be worthwhile to have a longer CV to complement your achievements or any publications you would like to share.
2. Research statement. Statements of research should be 500 words or less and should clearly identify your area of focus, its importance to the field, and its applicability to Meta as it pertains to one of the Available Fellowships. Note that references or citations count toward the 500-word limit. To optimize the word count for research statements, references and citations should be added to CVs, which do not have a word or page limit.
3. Two letters of recommendation. One of the letters of recommendation needs to come from a PhD advisor or a research advisor. The other may come from another professor or an industry contact.

For application guidance from Fellows and Meta reviewers, see Application Tips below.

Application Process

• The 2023 application opens on August 3, 2022, at 9:00am PDT. Applicants may prepare to apply by creating a SurveyMonkey Apply account. During the application process, applicants will be asked to provide references’ contact information. Once the application is submitted, references will receive an email to upload their letters in SurveyMonkey Apply by October 6, 2022. Please visit SurveyMonkey Apply for more information on references and how to apply.
• Applications close on September 20, 2022. After the application deadline, changes to applications will no longer be accepted. There is no interview associated with the Fellowship review process.
• Winners are notified in mid-January 2023. Winners will be announced on the Meta Research blog. Due to the volume of submissions, we’re unable to provide individual feedback on proposals.

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