Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme: be.AI – biomimetic embodied Artificial Intelligence (2022)

The University of Sussex invites applications for PhD studentships within the be.AI Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme which brings together researchers from the humanities, life sciences and computing to pursue artificial intelligence (AI) in its original definition of understanding natural intelligence by emulating it in artificial systems. In our unique interdisciplinary centre, we advance understanding of how the interaction between brain, body and environment gives rise to intelligence and how this insight can be used to build novel artificial intelligence.

What you get

As a be.AI Scholar you will:

• 3.5 years tax free living allowance at the standard Research Council rate – currently £15,609 per year– and UK PhD fee waiver (currently £4,500 per year) and international fee for exceptional candidates;
• Eligibility for generous financial support of up to £4,000 per year for training and research expenses, such as conference trips and experimental costs;
• Eligibility to apply for one of three 12 month postdoctoral research fellowships, available only to completing Leverhulme be.AI scholars;
• Benefit from supervision by world-leading researchers in many different aspects of AI;
• Benefit from taught courses in topics, such as ethics and data management.

Type of award: Postgraduate Research

PhD project

Proposed projects are detailed on the Programme Website or you can develop a proposal of your own linked to the themes: 

• be.AI rooted in the understanding gained from biological systems
• biomimetic AI
• embodied AI
• be.AI applications to robotics and hybrid systems
• consciousness and be.AI
• ethical AI
• be.AI to understand human behaviour
• be.AI in music
• philosophy of be.AI

You can approach supervisors from this pool of supervisors or wider within and across the following disciplines:

• Artificial intelligence
• Informatics
• Robotics
• Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Philosophy
• Digital humanities
• Music

Eligibility

Applicants should have/expect to have at least a 2:1 undergraduate honours degree. A master’s degree in a relevant discipline is strongly desirable.

Applicants must also have a willingness to participate in the programme’s interdisciplinary training and seminars.

The award is available to people from all countries.

Number of scholarships available: Up to 6 scholarships are available for an autumn 2022 start.

Deadline: 23 February 2022 16:00

How to apply

Take a look at our suggested projects and our supervisors’ interests.

To apply for one of the advertised projects, or to propose your own, you should apply for a PhD place at Sussex using the online PhD application form.

If applying for one of the advertised projects, you should use the advert as a starting point, and develop this into a more detailed research proposal. Please see the guidance on writing a research proposal.

On the application form, choose the PhD course linked to the department of your chosen supervisor (e.g. Informatics, Engineering, Life Sciences) and enter “Leverhulme” in the “sources of funding” box.

Your completed application should include your project proposal, your CV and any other information requested e.g. degree certificates and transcripts and English language qualifications.

You will also need to complete the Leverhulme funding application. This must be returned to leverhulme@sussex.ac.uk

Sponsors

The Leverhulme Trust

Contact us

For questions regarding your chosen research project, please contact the project supervisor listed on the project description.

If you have questions relating to the application process, please contact Amanda Britt on Leverhulme@sussex.ac.uk 

Timetable

23 February 2022 16.00   – Deadline for applications

March 2022   – Interviews (all interviews will be conducted by the be.AI Directors and Academic Board, which is cross-disciplinary in nature).

Early April 2022 –  Applicants notified regarding the outcome of their application

Please click here to learn more.