Graduate Student Fellows Program
2026 Fellow Nominations are due 4/9/2026
The Hariri Institute Graduate Student Fellows (GSF) program recognizes outstanding PhD students who are pursuing computing and data-driven research at Boston University. Continuing PhD students, in the 1st or 2nd year of their program, are eligible to be nominated for this honor (awarded, in turn, at the start of their 2nd or 3rd year, respectively). The Institute encourages nominations that would enhance the diversity, broadly defined, of its Graduate Student Fellows.
Each Boston University Department and program can nominate one student. Each department’s nomination must be submitted by the Department Chair and/or the Department Graduate Program Director. View eligibility, criteria, and nomination process below.
Since 2017, the Institute has awarded 60 Graduate Student Fellows across 20 departments and eight colleges. From social sciences, humanities, law, business, and medicine to engineering, computer science, and statistics, the Graduate Student Fellows Program is committed to enabling and supporting our student research community across BU schools and colleges. View our current cohort of Graduate Student Fellows here.
Benefits for Graduate Student Fellow Participation
- $5,000 Academic Enhancement Award to support and promote the student’s research experience at Boston University
- Collaborate with other Graduate Student Fellow cohorts to organize and support Institute-sponsored events (e.g., seminars, panels, etc.)
- Engage with the Institute’s substantial network of academic, government, and industry partners around computing and data-driven research
We ask that you keep your nominations confidential, and do not inform candidates of their nomination.
Program Overview:
Program Details
Fellowships are meant to support promising, continuing PhD students who show significant promise in computational and/or data-driven research at Boston University. In addition to being highlighted on the Hariri Institute’s website as a Graduate Student Fellow for the duration of the student’s studies, the fellowship provides a $5,000 Academic Enhancement Award to support the student’s research experience at Boston University. Funds may be used throughout the student’s doctoral studies toward expenses including, but not limited to conference travel, research equipment, and summer stipend support (if not already provided). This award cannot be used for tuition and/or Fall/Spring semester stipends and is available for up to 3 years from the award date as long as the students are in good standing.
Fellowships include opportunities to collaborate with other Graduate Student Fellow cohorts and organize Institute-sponsored events. The latter includes the “Did you know…? lunch-and-learn series, which provides PhD students with the opportunity to both learn new things that either enable or are enabled by computing and data science. The series gives them an opportunity to host and network with researchers and staff across Boston University.
Eligibility
Continuing PhD students who are pursuing computational and/or data-driven research at Boston University, in the 1st or 2nd year of their program, are eligible to be nominated for this honor (awarded, in turn, at the start of their 2nd or 3rd year, respectively).
Selection Criteria
Evaluation and selection will be conducted by a Hariri Institute-led committee. This is a competitive program. We recommend recommendation letters address the following selection criteria:
- The demonstrated capacity of the student to pursue computational and data-driven research in the form of computational and/or data-driven contributions and accomplishments.
- The potential of the student to engage in original research projects across disciplines by the Institute’s fellows and affiliates.
- Prospects for future impact and engagement around computing and data science activities at the Hariri Institute.
- The promise of the student as an ambassador for the department and for the Hariri Institute for Computing.
Nomination Process
We ask that you keep your nominations confidential, and do not inform candidates of their nomination. Please read below the specific nomination packet details prior to submitting candidates.
Nomination packets are required to include the following materials. Please combine all documents into one PDF document upon submission:
- Recommendation Letter (from Department Chairs or Graduate Program Directors). See “Selection Criteria” above for more information.
- Student transcript.
- Student CV.
Each spring semester, a handful of graduate students are selected for this honor, based on nominations submitted by department chairs or graduate program directors and evaluation by a Hariri Institute-led committee. Departments are notified in May if their nominee was selected. Candidates selected for this award are notified shortly following the Department’s communication. A formal cohort announcement is made at the start of the summer.
Nominate Now
For administrative questions, please contact Stephen Brown, Executive Director, at stbrown@bu.edu.
