Trustworthy AI Doctoral Fellowship Program
Designing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence Systems
About the program
Funded by a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Research Trainee Program and part of GW’s Trustworthy AI Initiative, the DTAIS program prepares future leaders, researchers, and policymakers meeting at the intersection of AI and human-work systems. The DTAIS PhD fellowship provides full funding for students admitted to either the PhD in Computer Science or Systems Engineering.
A few of the program benefits include:
· Solving problems that matter: This is a doctoral program that emphasizes impact, cross-disciplinarily, stakeholder engagement, and close collaboration with faculty experts spanning technical and application-specific aspects of trustworthy AI.
· Prestige and independence: The prestigious NRT fellowship provides full funding directly to the PhD student including full tuition coverage + stipends (only US persons are eligible for DTAIS funding, though there are many ways for international students to participate).
· Inclusive support and mentorship: DTAIS fellows are given space to identify research problems that are meaningful to them, and the faculty and staff support to execute that vision.
In addition to the core curriculum for their degree, fellows will focus their electives on an interdisciplinary core sequence building shared depth in trustworthy AI in systems. Courses include topics in machine learning, human systems design, and convergent research formulation, as well as a DTAIS seminar.
Professional development will be supported by a strong mentorship program and access to experts in ethics and communication
Why this program?
AI tools are being developed at a blistering pace, deployed into an environment where value maximization precedes regulation. Fellows will navigate a core tension between the opportunity for ubiquitous AI to transform work for good and the emergent risks that arise when AI is embedded in core decision-making functions.
This fellowship is designed to prepare future innovators and policy-makers to lead as society navigates that tension. For algorithm designers, this means understanding, and being sensitive to, the context in which their creations will operate and evolve in unplanned ways through interaction with users in socio-technical ecosystems; and for system designers, this means knowing enough about how AI tools are evolving to regulate better, and reimagine how tasks and processes can and should transform work in fundamental ways.
Application Requirements
- Apply to either the Computer Science or Systems Engineering PhD Programs. In addition to the standard application requirements for each degree we are also looking for:
- Eagerness to engage in making an impact. This is showcased via a supplemental essay which will be requested after the submission of your PhD application.
- Essay prompt: DTAIS is a community-oriented PhD program focused on solving interdisciplinary problems. In two pages, please speak to your interest in joining the DTAIS. Your essay should focus on identifying a DTAIS-aligned potential research direction you'd like to pursue, as well as how participating in DTAIS will enable you to advance your future research.
- We expect most students to enter with a relevant MS degree in fields including but not limited to: computer science, data science, engineering, mathematics, physics, statistics. We will also review applications from candidates with only a Bachelor’s degree who also have substantial professional experience.
- Eagerness to engage in making an impact. This is showcased via a supplemental essay which will be requested after the submission of your PhD application.