Imperial is now one of the world's most important environments for cultivating AI talent, expertise and application – which is why Google DeepMind and fellow powerhouse Schmidt Science are partnering with us to tackle some of humanity's most complex challenges.
“Early career opportunities are crucial to help build the AI research leaders who will shape our future,” explains Agata Laydon, Life Sciences Lead at Google DeepMind Impact Accelerator. That’s in part because artificial intelligence is advancing at extraordinary speed. Over the past several years, support from Google DeepMind and Schmidt Sciences has not only strengthened Imperial’s AI research ecosystem, but affirmed Imperial as a global destination for emerging leaders in the field.
Google DeepMind’s philanthropic commitment began in 2019 with a transformative series of postgraduate scholarships in Computing and Life Sciences. Designed to broaden participation in AI, these awards have supported 21 Master’s students and two PhD researchers in Computing, and four Master’s students in Life Sciences.
Schmidt Sciences’ contribution is also accelerating research at scale. Through the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship, part of a landmark $148 million initiative, Imperial has already supported 53 Fellows, with around 30 more expected. Working across physics, engineering, mathematics and life sciences, these researchers bring AI to frontier scientific questions. While a complementary Global Faculty Fellowship brings researchers from the Global South to Imperial before they return home to build AI capacity locally, strengthening international scientific networks.
This incredible support has enabled enormous strides in research that otherwise could never have happened, such as a real-time deep generative AI system that enables faster MRI scans, pushing the frontiers of medical imaging AI, the development of Algorithmic Game Theory to improve data-driven decision making, and work to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The support affirms Imperial as a global destination for emerging leaders in AI
Google DeepMind has also partnered with Imperial through the Google DeepMind Academic Fellowship Programme, which aims to support groundbreaking research in computer science and artificial intelligence. “We’ve been thrilled to see many prior Google DeepMind Fellows go on to achieve remarkable success in academia,” says Laydon. “Most recently, we’ve been proud to support Imperial and the Fleming Initiative to launch an additional pioneering Fellowship. By bringing the transformative capabilities of AI to bear on the global challenge of AMR, we can empower brilliant minds to drive new breakthroughs against this urgent threat.” Together, these philanthropic partnerships are shaping the future of AI – and consolidating Imperial’s leadership in the field. And they are a powerful reminder that the world’s brightest minds look to Imperial not just to participate in the next era of AI, but to lead it.
Find out how philanthropy at Imperial is shaping the future at imperial.ac.uk/giving