Master’s in AI for Science

AI for Science is a stream in AIMS South Africa’s Master’s degree in Mathematical Science, made possible through a partnership with Google DeepMind. The program sits at the exciting intersection of AI and the Sciences. This exciting program started with its first intake of students in September 2023. It is a fully residential one-year taught masters with a research component. Applications are open to students from across Africa who are passionate about mathematics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. We are looking for students who gaze at the stars and the world around them in wonder, and who want to use their talents to accelerate scientific discovery.

Master's in AI for Science

Google DeepMind scholars

A Google DeepMind donation funds 40 scholars per year for the four years starting September 2023. The funding covers full scholarships, equipment and computation costs for students. Our scholars are Google DeepMind scholars, and have opportunities to connect with Google DeepMind’s researchers and engineers for mentoring and support.

Beyond scholarships, the program will draw on Google DeepMind’s world-leading expertise in AI for Science.

World-class local partners

It is an exciting time for science in Africa. On our doorstep, the Square Kilometre Array will be the largest radio telescope ever built and will produce science that changes our understanding of the universe. The first detection of the Beta and Omicron Covid-19 variants happened close to our institute in Muizenberg.

With such stellar scientific neighbours, the program benefits from the expertise of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) and its South African partner, the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), and the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA).

The initial focus areas of the program is AI and machine learning in cosmology, epidemiology and ecology.

It is our hope that many more students in Africa can be involved in pioneering research and contribute to the scientific discoveries that are yet to come.

Ready to take the next step?

We invite students from across Africa to apply to be part of the September 2025 cohort and become one of our 40 Google DeepMind Scholars for the 2025-26 academic year! Applications open on Monday 13 January 2025. The deadline for the first round of the application process is 11:59 PM SAST on 21 March 2025.

Apply