Study Pathways

Yes. The fellowship is open to UAE nationals regardless of Ph.D. institution.

Yes. The competitive package includes family support and relocation allowance.

RAIS welcomes scholars from a wide range of disciplines. If your research engages with AI, computational tools, or quantitative methods in any capacity, we encourage you to apply.

Fellows submit quarterly individualized development plans with their host PI; they engage in career development and check-ins with the MBZUAI Program team.

Completion enhances eligibility and preparedness for tenure-track faculty opportunities at MBZUAI and peer institutions.

A confirmed host PI commitment is required for application submission. We encourage applicants who need support navigating host PI or institution outreach to contact the Office of Faculty Excellence and Advancement (OFEA) team directly at RAIS@mbzuai.ac.ae.

1. Research independence: The committee values candidates who demonstrate an emerging capacity to define and pursue their own intellectual directions — including the ability to identify meaningful research questions, sustain complex projects, and articulate a vision for where their work is heading. This may be evidenced through doctoral research, independent initiatives, or leadership within a research group.
2. Technical and disciplinary foundation: Candidates should have strong grounding in the computational or quantitative methods central to their field. The fellowship welcomes applicants from across AI and its adjacent disciplines including economics, computational biology, data science, and statistics, and has no bias to any single methodological tradition.
3. Alignment with MBZUAI's research community: The committee looks for candidates whose scholarly interests connect meaningfully with MBZUAI's research priorities and who have a genuine interest in contributing to the UAE's long-term academic and research ecosystem. Strong alignment need not be narrow — candidates whose work opens new directions for the university are equally encouraged to apply.