The Fellowship scheme is available to all Imperial College academic staff at the level of Research Fellow/Lecturer or above who have a strong academic interest in data science research and education.

Why become a DSI Academic Fellow?

Title and visibility

Each fellow will be afforded the title of DSI Academic Fellow for a period of 3 years. This title can be used in research funding applications, along with the autonomy to include access to the DSI’s connections and facilities within the proposal.

There will also be a dedicated DSI Fellow’s webpage which will link to the Fellows own research group.

Priority access to DSI facilities

All Fellows will have priority access to DSI facilities, including the Data Observatory (DO), Boardroom and visual corridor. The DO and Boardroom will be offered free of charge to host meetings which have a clear research link with Data Science initiatives with key stakeholders. Furthermore, if requested, all DSI Fellows will be given training on the DO Presentation module, so that they are able to present relevant work hosted in the DO Library on the Data Observatory independently. 

Key access to DSI corporate partners where suitable

The DSI frequently hosts workshops and discussions with corporate partners. DSI fellows will be invited to participate in these meetings as and where relevant when the topic is in within their field of interest.

Access to DSI project funding and supervision of PhD studentships

Fellows will be invited to submit applications to the DSI Project Seed Fund, engage in projects funded by DSI corporate funders (i.e. TR Lab, Huawei Lab, ZJU) and will be able to supervise DSI/Industry funded PhD studentships.

Invitation to partake in DSI discussion panels, workshops with funding bodies, national and international conferences

Invitation to partake in DSI discussion panels, workshops with funding bodies, national and international conferences

An annual fellows workshop

Once a year, fellows will be invited to a ‘Fellows’ workshop, to network with other fellows and to learn about key data science initiatives, innovation and collaborative programmes from across the College. 

What does the DSI expect from its Fellows?

Advocate for the DSI at national and international meetings

DSI fellows may be requested from time to time to attended meetings, workshops or conferences, both national and international, on behalf of or representing the DSI. 

Jointly publish and produce white papers with the DSI on key data science innovations

DSI fellows will be expected to include the DSI on publications where facilities or knowledge within the DSI has been accessed. DSI Fellow should use DSI as an affiliation in publication, proposal and other academic activities whenever appropriate.  Furthermore, DSI Fellows will be invited to publish white papers where relevant with the DSI. These papers will appear on the DSI website

Engagement on large scale, multi-disciplinary data science funding bids

Fellows will the invited to attend workshops where relevant to collaborate and take a lead on multi-disciplinary bids either in collaboration with or on behalf of the DSI.

To supervise DSI funded PhD students

The DSI often receives interest from external companies to host studentships. Sometimes the research area of the project is outside the direct expertise of the DSI and it would be more appropriate for these students to be supervised by other academic staff in College. The DSI will initially look to the expertise of the DSI fellows to supervise these students where possible. 

Application Process

Applications are on a rolling basis so there are no deadlines to apply, but will be reviewed by the Committee 5 times a year. The panel will consist of a subcommittee of the DSI External Advisory Board, including the Chair of the DSI Research Board and other invited specialists. 

If you have any queries about the application process, please contact our Communications Officer, Gemma Ralton. 

Terms of the Fellowship

The title will be bestowed for a maximum of three years, after which the Fellow will need to make a case to the DSI as to why the title should be extended.

Titles will only be provided to internal College members, and only to those at the level of Research Fellow / Lecturer or above in the normal circumstance.

Where relevant and possible, the Fellows will be hosted within the DSI Research Laboratories structure and included as part of their network (i.e. Behavioural Analytics, Data Economy, Social and Cultural Analytics, Business Analytics and Data Assimilation)