Microsoft Research India Announces Ph.D. Fellowship Awards for 2007

Microsoft Research India today announced its Ph.D. Fellowship Program awards for 2007. The Ph.D. Fellowship Program aims to encourage students to take up doctoral education in computer science and help the growth of the research community in India. The Ph.D. fellowships, instituted by Microsoft Research’s External Research & Programs group, are awarded to students after a rigorous selection process that includes nomination by their faculty and selection by a panel of leading researchers. Through the Ph.D. Fellowship Program, Microsoft Research India offers the recipients funding of $20,000 (U.S.) over four years and a travel allowance of $5,000 (U.S.) to attend international conferences and seminars. As part of the Ph.D. Fellowship Program, the selected students will also be given a laptop computer and an internship opportunity of three to six months at Microsoft Research India during the first two years of their fellowship.

Ph.D. fellowships for this year have been awarded to Shanmuganathan R. (Indian Institute of Technology [IIT] Bombay), B.V.N. Silpa (IIT Delhi), Arnab Sarkar (IIT Kharagpur), Arpita Patra (IIT Madras) and Rama Suri Narayanam ( Indian Institute of Science).

“Research is critical to innovation, which leads to technological leadership,” said P. Anandan, managing director of Microsoft Research India. “India has a large pool of bright young students who would make great researchers, but unfortunately very few of them go on to pursue advanced studies. These Ph.D. fellowships are meant to encourage talented students to pursue a doctorate degree and go on to a career in research.”

“Microsoft Research India is committed to increasing the Ph.D. pipeline and advancing the growth of research in India,” said Vidya Natampally, director of strategy at Microsoft Research India. “The Ph.D. Fellowship Program identifies and provides support to some of the best research talent in the country. The Ph.D. fellowships also enable these students to travel to the most important conferences around the world and meet and learn from the top researchers in the field as well as their peers.”

The fellowships are granted to candidates studying in a department oriented toward research in electrical engineering, computer science and engineering from renowned Indian technical institutes.

Microsoft has been in India since 1990 and employs over 4,000 people across its offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.

About Microsoft Research India

Microsoft Research India was established in January 2005, and is engaged in cutting-edge basic and applied research in multiple fields in computing, information technology and related areas. One of Microsoft Research India’s key objectives is to further the state of the art in computing research by partnering with key institutions and academics in India.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.