I-X Women in AI Network

The grant is open to women and non-binary individuals at Master's, PhD, or postdoctoral level at Imperial College London who are interested in learning about AI or are currently working in the field.

Please note: Applicants who have already been awarded this grant are not eligible to apply again.

To apply for a grant during the pre-selection stage, applicants must complete a brief online form and provide the following information:

• Requested amount: Up to £1,000, with a fully justified budget detailing the expected costs (e.g., conference registration fees, workshop fees, travel, and other expenses). If the maximum budget of £1,000 does not cover all the expenses for the activity, please justify how you will cover the remaining costs.
• Departmental account number (please enter your supervisor’s/mentor’s departmental F account number for the fund transfer).
• Purpose of the grant: A one-sentence summary of the proposed activity and its purpose.
• Brief proposal (up to 300 words), including:
  1. A clear description of the planned activity.
  2. The main motivation for participating in the activity.
• Expected impact on career development (up to 100 words), describing the anticipated learning outcomes and how the activity will contribute to your research and professional growth.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Apply here

The application form will open at 00:00 on Monday 2 November 2026 and will close at 23:45 on Monday 4 January 2027.

Applicants who successfully pass the pre-selection stage will be invited to the interview stage, where they will be expected to present their proposal through a PowerPoint presentation.

The grant can cover registration fees and travel expenses for conferences, workshops, tutorials, training sessions, and other activities that enable applicants to present their research, expand their professional networks, and develop new skills in AI. AI is interpreted broadly and may encompass a range of fields, including modelling and automation, as well as AI for scientific applications (e.g., in chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics, engineering, etc.)

We generally do not cover the costs of online courses or resources that can be freely available from other sources (see a list below). Applicants seeking funding for an online course are strongly encouraged to provide a clear justification explaining why this option represents the best for their career development. The proposal should highlight the value of any certification obtained and clarify that equivalent free resources or in-person courses are not available.

• The proposed activity should have AI at its core, including its applications in scientific research and related disciplines.
• The proposed activity should demonstrate a meaningful impact on the applicant's academic, research or professional development.
• The skills and competencies to be developed through the activity should be clearly identified.
• Timing and career development: Why is this activity particularly relevant at this stage of the applicant’s career? Why is now the right time to pursue it? Are there alternative funding opportunities available to the applicant?
• Knowledge sharing and alignment with WAI’s vision.

Applicants must not use generative AI tools to generate the application, neither to write the initial proposal from scratch, neither formulate the personal motivation and expected career impact of the proposed activity. The ideas and personal reflections presented in the application must originate from the applicant.

Generative AI may be used only for limited purposes, including:

• Translating an application from another language into English.
• Improving the standard of English.
• Formatting the application or reducing its word count.

Applicants must not use generative AI tools to prepare their interview presentation slides.

We will launch two calls for applications each year, awarding four grants annually.

Please note: the activity for which you are applying must take place at least two months after the application deadline. The awarded funding cannot be used retrospectively. The IX-WAI will review applications and make decisions once a term.

Recipients of the mini grants will be required to provide confirmation of attendance and a brief feedback paragraph about their experience. This feedback will be published on our website to inspire and inform others.

If you’re looking for online courses to learn the fundamentals of AI and deep learning modelling, you can find a brief list of free learning resources below.

ECRI offers a series of courses covering the fundamentals of Python and introducing key concepts in machine learning and deep learning:

• Managing and Running Python Effectively
• Machine Learning with Python
• Deep Learning with Python

Online Tutorials:

• Tutorials from the Deep learning course of the University of Amsterdam, covering several deep learning architectures and their practical implementations in PyTorch.

• Learn PyTorch: practical tutorials and examples for learning PyTorch
• Distill: visual and simplified technical explanations of different machine learning concepts.

Other Resources:

• Coursera access through Imperial
• Additional Resources from IX
• Imperial Lifelong Learning offers professional development opportunities, including courses in AI and related disciplines. AI for the Workplace is new learning programme designed to develop AI literacy and use AI effectively and responsibly. The first course, AI Foundations for Professional Contexts, is now available.

You can also find additional support and courses for your career development here.

The events we organised and/or supported in the past:

• 
  
  • 10/06/2026: Women in Science Career Day
  • 11/06/2025: Women in Science Career Day
  • 03/12/2024: AI: Cutting-Edge Overview and Tutorials with Linda Wen 
  • 18/07/2024: AI: Cutting-Edge Overviews and Tutorial Series with Professor Claudia Clopath
  • 16/07/2024: Managing the Impostor Phenomenon workshop by Dr Tracy Bussoli 
  • 20/06/2024: AI: Ethics & Diversity Seminar Series with Professor Lesley Cohen 
  • 23/05/2024: AI: Ethics & Diversity Seminar Series with Professor Michael Huth 
  • 09/05/2024: AI: Ethics & Diversity Seminar Series with Dr Mary Meaney Haynes