Amazon Fellowships Support 42 UCLA Samueli Doctoral Students in a Single Academic Quarter, Totaling Nearly $1 Million

Forty-two doctoral students from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering received Amazon fellowships for the 2026 winter quarter through three programs coordinated by the Science Hub for Humanity and Artificial Intelligence, a collaboration between Amazon and UCLA Samueli. This marks the largest Amazon fellow cohort in a single academic quarter to date.

Established in 2021, the

Science Hub

is Amazon’s first such partnership with a public university. The initiative brings together leading academic and industry researchers to advance AI-driven solutions to society’s most pressing challenges. The hub funds doctoral fellowships, faculty and student research projects, and community outreach programs that explore how AI can improve humanity.

“Supporting doctoral students represents Amazon’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of AI researchers and innovators,” said Anne Szeto, director of Amazon Academic Research Initiatives. “By connecting UCLA Samueli’s talented students with Amazon’s research community, we’re not only advancing cutting-edge science but also building meaningful partnerships that bridge academic excellence with real-world impact. We’re proud to see this collaboration grow to support 42 fellows in a single quarter — a testament to the strength of our partnership with UCLA and the exceptional caliber of its students.”

The three Amazon fellowship programs, totaling nearly $1 million, cover tuition and fees for specific academic terms and provide a stipend. Recipients are also paired with Amazon researchers whose expertise aligns with the student’s work.

“We are grateful for Amazon’s support in helping train the next generation of technology leaders,” said

Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park,

the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of UCLA Samueli. “Our ongoing partnership has empowered our students and faculty to work alongside industry experts, developing innovative solutions to some of the toughest and most pressing challenges in AI, both today and in the future.”

Dean Alissa Park delivers remarks at the 2025 event at Amazon Studios

13 Amazon Fellows

Thirteen UCLA Samueli doctoral students were selected as Amazon Fellows

, with each receiving two academic quarters of support along with an internship opportunity. Their research spans applied AI in areas including imaging and sensing, security and privacy, wearable computing and robotics, as well as fundamental AI topics.

15 Amazon AI Ph.D. Fellows

Fifteen Amazon AI Ph.D. Fellows

receive two years of support to conduct research in core artificial intelligence fields such as machine learning, computer vision and natural language processing. The AI fellowship program is part of a broader $68 million Amazon initiative

announced in November 2025

and includes students at UCLA and eight other universities.

14 Amazon Trainium Fellows

Fourteen Amazon Trainium Fellows

receive three academic quarters of support along with an internship. Their work focuses on high-performance, cloud-based deep learning projects using AWS Trainium AI chips. The program includes participants from UCLA and five other universities.

“Over the past four years, the Science Hub has helped many UCLA Samueli Ph.D. students secure mentorships, internships and full-time positions at Amazon and beyond,” said

Jens Palsberg

, a professor of computer science and faculty director of the Science Hub. “By investing in our students and collaborating closely with our faculty, Amazon is advancing cutting-edge AI research.”

Through Amazon’s fellowship programs, UCLA researchers collaborate with scientists in areas including large language models, generative AI, automated reasoning and efficient computing, all while fostering an innovation ecosystem that strengthens connections between academic research and real-world applications.