Dublin, Ireland, – November 3, 2021 – IBM Research Europe – Dublin and Trinity College Dublin (TCD) are pleased to announce their new Pre-doc Fellowship Program.

The program aims to give pre-doc students who have been exemplary in their academic achievements the unique opportunity to work in a corporation side by side experienced scientists on solving real-world problems. As part of the program, the pre-doc students will work on a mutually agreed research project and be supervised by IBM Research mentors as well as TCD professors. Each recipient will also be employed by IBM Research in Dublin for the duration of their PhD study.

Project focus areas include the following research topics:
Quantum Computing / Quantum Systems
Artificial Intelligence
Future of Computing
Security and privacy

Officially announced at the 10-year anniversary event of IBM Research Europe – Dublin, this Pre-doc Fellowship Program will deepen and broaden IBM’s collaboration with TCD, the highest ranked university in Ireland.

Welcoming the announcement, Simon Harris TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, said: “It is through such collaborative programs that we will strengthen Ireland’s growing research and innovation ecosystem between academia, industry, and government. In working together, we are preparing the next generation of researchers to deliver the science and technology-based innovations our country and the world needs for the challenges we face. My personal congratulations to the first recipients of the IBM-TCD Pre-doc Fellowship Program.”

From left to right: Dr. Ruoyi Zhou, Director of IBM Research Dublin; Alessandro Curioni, IBM Research VP Europe and Africa; Nathan Keenan, Pre-Doc Quantum Computing Researcher; Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science; Deborah Threadgold, IBM Ireland Country General Manager.

“Not only will this collaboration be instrumental in elevating the innovation ecosystem in Ireland, but it will also attract top talent to IBM Research. We are excited to see the how each recipient will contribute to the advancement of scientific research,” said Dr. Ruoyi Zhou, Director, IBM Research Europe – Dublin.

"Trinity is delighted to be part of this innovative program with IBM. It offers participants the best of both worlds: in addition to a grounding in the rigorous approach of academic research, PhD candidates will also be exposed to the culture of innovation which is the hallmark of a company like IBM. As well as generating excellent research projects informed by real-world applications, the programme will produce a new cohort of highly qualified, well rounded researchers," said Prof. Linda Doyle, Trinity Provost.

IBM Research Europe –Dublin plans to expand the program to bring more pre-doc students on board in 2022 and beyond. Discussions are now underway with the intent to launch the program at University College Dublin (UCD) as well.

“At UCD we seek to deliver excellent research and innovation, working with partners to make a real difference to the world. IBM has been a key partner for UCD in this regard. Building on many years of collaboration, we are delighted to further this important relationship, and to provide UCD students with such a unique opportunity to develop cutting edge skills and expertise with a global leader in these key research areas of transformative potential,” said Prof. Orla Feely, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact at UCD.

Strong collaboration with faculty, students and universities is vital to IBM. Globally, the IBM PhD Fellowship Program advances this collaboration by recognizing and supporting exceptional PhD students who want to make their mark in promising and disruptive technologies. Since the creation of the IBM PhD Fellowship Program in 1951, IBM has supported thousands of PhD students.

About IBM Research

For more than seven decades, IBM Research has defined the future of information technology with more than 3,000 researchers in 16 locations across five continents. Scientists from IBM Research have produced six Nobel Laureates, 10 U.S. National Medals of Technology, five U.S. National Medals of Science, six Turing Awards, 19 inductees in the National Academy of Sciences and 20 inductees into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame. For more information, please visit www.research.ibm.com/.

About Trinity College Dublin

Located in a beautiful campus in the heart of Dublin’s city centre, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) is Ireland’s highest ranked university.  It is home to 18,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students across all the major disciplines in the arts and humanities, and in business, law, engineering, science, and health sciences.  TCD promotes a diverse, interdisciplinary, inclusive environment which nurtures ground-breaking research, innovation, and creativity through engaging with issues of global significance.

About University College Dublin

University College Dublin (UCD) is a leading research-intensive university, where a comprehensive suite of strong disciplines forms the foundation of high-quality interdisciplinary research, scholarship and innovation. UCD is a world-class destination for leading researchers with over 1,600 graduate students. The university is home to 33,000 students drawn from 144 countries, including almost 4,000 students based at locations outside of Ireland.