PQI Fellowships will be awarded to students of exceptional ability and promise who are pursuing a Ph.D. in Quantum Science or Engineering. Eligible graduate students will be selected from the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, the Swanson School of Engineering, and the School of Computing and Information. The number of Fellowships awarded will be determined by the funding provided by the respective Schools. The primary consideration in ranking nominees is the nominee’s promise of achieving scholarly distinction in their field, as demonstrated by their application materials.
All nominees must be within the nominating program’s guaranteed years of funding during the 2023-2024 academic year. A stipend consistent with the funding policies of the student’s School will be awarded for the Spring 2024 term plus a tuition scholarship. PQI Fellows are expected engage in full-time dissertation research during the period of their fellowship, and also devote 30 hours over the course of the semester to help PQIs operations. No additional duties will be permitted or required.
Faculty should nominate students for the PQI Fellowship. Once nominated, the nominee must provide the following:
• Two recommendation letters, one of which should be from their advisor
• Submit a C.V. (no more than two pages)
• Submit a research proposal (no more than three pages double-spaced)
• Submit copy of current academic transcript
Please note: Letters of recommendation should be of reasonable length – no more than two single-spaced pages and preferably shorter. Long letters, apart from being less likely to be read as carefully, can make it seem as if the recommender is more invested and knowing about the project than the student whose statement is limited to three double-spaced pages. Letters should assess the originality and potential impact of a student’s research and the feasibility of completion within the fellowship period if the fellowship is for the final year in program and highlight pivotal factors in the nominee’s background, progress, productivity, and accomplishments.
All application materials are due by 5:00 PM on Monday, October 9th, 2023.
After filling out a rubric for each assigned nominee (copy provided below), members of the selection committee will be provided access to ranking memos, spreadsheets, and application materials for all nominees before gathering to select the PQI Fellows. Research has shown that the use of rubrics can help evaluators compare different types of proposals using one set of metrics and can mitigate the effects of unconscious bias. Please review and share the rubric with your recommenders.
The 2023-2024 awards are expected to be announced by Monday, October 30th, 2023
