9667 Announcement of the Microsoft Research Latin American Fellowship/Internship Programs for the academic year 2012-2013

Dear colleagues and friends,

It is that time of the year again when Microsoft Research is accepting student nominees from your prestigious universities for the academic year 2012-2013 for both our Latin American PhD Graduate Fellowship Program and Latin American Internship Program. As it was the case for last year, the program continues to be open for any university in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

The goals of these two programs are as follows:

• Provide an opportunity for talented students from universities in Latin America and the Caribbean to work with Researchers at Microsoft Research (Redmond, Mountain View and New England campuses).
• Increase interaction between MSR Researchers and faculty/students at Latin American and Caribbean universities.
• Provide internship opportunities and expose Latin American and Caribbean students to an industrial research setting and Microsoft.
• Identify potential candidates for future research opportunities at Microsoft.

We hope you agree this is a valuable opportunity for the best and brightest of your students.

For more information visit: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/collaboration/global/latam/latam-awards.aspx.  This site will be updated with active links to the application tool on the day that the application tool opens (Tuesday, August 14^th, 2012)

Eligibility Criteria:

• All eligible students will apply directly to the application tool and if nominated by the university, the nominating department chair should send their endorsement in email tolatamint@microsoft.com. Preference will be given to students endorsed by their universities, although this is not mandatory.
• Each department can nominate up to three (3) candidates. Nominees may come from any of the following departments: Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Electrical Engineering (if your department is within the scope of these areas, but is titled differently, you are eligible).
• Universities may need to run an internal selection process before sending us the final three candidates from each department.
• Nominees should demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, high research potential, and interests relevant to information technology.
• Nominees are expected to be proficient in English as we are unable to offer English as second language training during their visit to Microsoft Research.
• The opening date for application submissions is Tuesday August 14^th, 2012. All applications must be submitted by Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 at 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time. The online tool will not be available until Tuesday August 14^th, 2012. More information about how to access the online tool will be given at http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/collaboration/global/latam/latam-awards.aspx.
• The application must include a curriculum vitae or resume (Word Docs, Text Files, and PDF). The documents may be uploaded separately by the student via the online application.
• Our online application will request three email addresses for letters of recommendation (One letter should come from the student’s advisor).  We will automatically solicit reference letters to add to the nominee’s application.  The student should follow up with the references to ensure that they received the auto-notification to upload letters.  If they did not receive the auto-notification (as it sometimes does not make it through university firewalls), they should submit the reference letter to latamint@microsoft.com and it will be uploaded to the application.
• Fellowship applicants must be enrolled in a Ph.D. and include a thesis proposal with their application. Internship applicants can be pursuing either a Masters or a PhD degree. If they are pursuing a Masters degree, the student will not be required to submit a thesis proposal when applying for the internship program.

Any department chairs wishing to nominate students formally should contact us via email atlatamint@microsoft.com.
Please send an e-mail including the following information:
University:
Department:
University contact name and e-mail:

Applicant:
Applicant’s e-mail:
Nominated for Microsoft Research Fellowship, Internship, or both?
Applicant currently pursuing Masters or PhD?
Area of study (up to two):

Current Schedule:
·         Microsoft will begin accepting applications on Tuesday, August 14, 2012.
·         Completion date for all applications: Tuesday, October 9, 2012, at 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time
·         Applicants will be notified no later than February 12, 2013.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Additional Program Details:  

PhD Graduate Fellowship Program:   

• Two (2) fellowships will be awarded to the best and the brightest from the pool of PhD applicants from the participating universities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• If selected for a fellowship, a student is automatically offered the opportunity to complete one salaried 12-week internship at Microsoft Research, directly following the year of award.

Latin American Internship Program: 

• The candidate can start his/her internship any time prior to June 30, 2013.  Unfortunately, for this program, starting after June 30, 2013 is not possible.
• Internships are paid and typically last for 12 weeks.
• Assistance with visas, relocation, and housing are provided.
• Primary selection criteria are
• The inherent merits of the student
• A research project matching the interests of the nominee
• Interest from one of our researchers to act as a mentor for the nominee
• We strongly encourage the candidates to identify their preferred research area when submitting their application. For more information on current research areas at MSR please see:  http://research.microsoft.com/apps/dp/areas.aspx

Please again remember the following:

• Each department can nominate up to three (3) candidates (Fellowship + Internship).
• The student must complete an application via the web tool to be considered.
• Nominees are not required to apply for both programs.

If you need further assistance or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us via email atlatamint@microsoft.com.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Jaime Puente
Director Latin America and Caribbean | Microsoft Research Connections | Phone: +1 954 489 4895
japuente@microsoft.com

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