What these fellowships are, and what they are not
The programmes below hire recent PhDs to do research, usually on a one- or two-year contract, at a host institute. You apply with a research plan and referees, not with a company or a grant budget for a whole lab.
They are different from funded PhDs, which we cover in Funded AI PhDs and UKRI CDTs in the UK, and from more senior investigator jobs. ELLIS Institute Tübingen: Principal Investigator positions (Hector Endowed Fellows) is an example of the latter: six-year principal-investigator posts with a research budget, a full-consideration date of 13 December 2026. That is not a standard postdoc, so do not treat it as one.
Our fellowships guide explains how paid research programmes sit alongside studentships and residencies.
Three open programmes, side by side
| Programme | Host and length | What is published about pay |
|---|---|---|
| RobotX Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027 | ETH Zurich, RobotX / Center for Robotics. One-year ETH contract, typically extended. | Paid on the ETH postdoc salary scale with social benefits. The posting does not quote the scale. |
| Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship (University of Michigan, 2027 cohort) | University of Michigan (MIDAS). This is the final cycle of the programme. Fellows work 50% in person at MIDAS, with two U-M mentors (one in AI, one in science). Faculty cover research costs. | Funded, but the apply page does not state the salary. Check MIDAS for the figure. |
| Simons Institute Research Fellowships 2027–28 (incl. Diffusion Generative Modeling) | Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, UC Berkeley, for 2027–28, including the Fall 2027 Diffusion Generative Modeling programme. | The call says salaries and benefits are competitive. It does not publish a number. |
Where a salary is not on the official page, we do not invent one. The listing or the host HR page is the place to confirm the rate before you accept an offer.
Who can apply
- RobotX. A doctorate in engineering, computer science, robotics or a related field, completed by August 2027, with a strong robotics or machine-learning publication record. You choose up to three RobotX professors.
- Schmidt at Michigan. A PhD awarded after 1 September 2022 and conferred before the August/September 2027 start. The work is AI applied to biology, earth and environmental science, engineering, physical science or maths. You need two University of Michigan faculty mentors. Proposals focused on healthcare treatment are out of scope.
- Simons Institute. Exceptional early-career scientists who are within at most five years of their PhD at the start of 2027–28.
Deadlines this cycle
- Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship (University of Michigan, 2027 cohort): 23 November 2026.
- RobotX Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027: 27 November 2026.
- Simons Institute Research Fellowships 2027–28 (incl. Diffusion Generative Modeling): 1 December 2026.
Two further postdocs close even sooner, so only apply if your materials are already ready: CMU AI4BIO Fellows (postdoctoral fellowship at the interface of AI and biology) closes 15 November 2026 (all materials, including references), and WASP-HS Postdoctoral Scholarship on Autonomous Systems and Robotics in Society closes 16 November 2026, for a one- to two-year post at MIT from September 2027 (Stipend approx. USD 73,308 a year for one to two years).
How to apply without wasting a cycle
- Confirm the PhD-date window. Several of these calls are strict about when the degree was, or will be, awarded.
- Line up mentors or preferred supervisors early, especially for Schmidt, which needs two Michigan faculty, and RobotX, where you name professors.
- Read the scientific scope. Schmidt will not take healthcare-treatment proposals; Simons is a theory institute with a named programme; RobotX is robotics and ML.
- Submit through the official posting, not a generic job board, and treat reference letters as part of the deadline, as Carnegie Mellon does.
Open postdocs we track are on our fellowships list, soonest deadline first.
