MathWorks Fellowships

Every discovery begins with curiosity. MathWorks Fellowships give our graduate students the freedom to pursue the questions that matter most. Their research drives transformative solutions in areas ranging from sustainable energy and advanced computing to new manufacturing and human health.

About MathWorks Fellowships

MathWorks Fellowships empower graduate students to pursue ambitious research that expands knowledge, drives innovation, and addresses society’s greatest challenges. Rooted in MathWorks’ legacy of transforming how engineers and scientists solve problems, these fellowships provide unrestricted support and flexibility to explore promising ideas and build the foundation for future breakthroughs.

Since the fellowship program began, hundreds of MathWorks Fellows in the MIT School of Engineering—and many more in the MIT School of Science—have driven advances across engineering and science, tackling the world’s most complex technical challenges.

MathWorks Fellows benefit from:

• Unrestricted funding: Fellows have the flexibility to follow their research wherever it leads without the constraints of traditional grant funding.
• Intellectual freedom: Fellows are encouraged to investigate new lines of inquiry, test emerging concepts, and pursue important questions.
• Mentorship and collaboration: Access to MathWorks engineers and experts provides real-world insights and opportunities to expand their professional networks.

Eligibility & Application

Eligibility

Graduate students currently enrolled in the School of Engineering are eligible to apply. First-year graduate students and students in professional master’s programs are not eligible. Preference is given to applicants who actively use MATLAB and/or Simulink in their research.

Application Process

Interested students should contact their department’s graduate administrator early in the spring semester to initiate the application process.

Application Materials

Students interested in applying should prepare the following materials:

• Curriculum vitae showcasing academic achievements and research experience.
• Research statement (maximum two pages) highlighting how MathWorks software has advanced the student’s research and their contributions to the MathWorks community.
• Letter of recommendation from the applicant’s research advisor.

• Ashutosh Kumar
• Louis DeRidder
• Miranda Schwacke

Ashutosh Kumar

2023-2024 MathWorks Fellow

My Story

“MathWorks gave me a chance to explore my interests and helped me navigate from being a steel engineer to a cancer scientist.”

• Department
  Department of Materials Science and Engineering
• Research Area

  Studying the link between bacteria and ovarian cancer

Louis DeRidder

2023-2024 MathWorks Fellow

My Story

“MathWorks and Simulink are key to what we do. They enable us to model the drug pharmacokinetics — how the body distributes and metabolizes the drug.”

• Department

  Harvard-MIT Health Science and Technology Program
  

• Research Area

  Developing a device to make chemotherapy dosing more accurate for individual patients

Miranda Schwacke

2024-2025 MathWorks Fellow

My Story

“If you look at AI in particular — to train these really large models — that consumes a lot of energy. And if you compare that to the amount of energy that we consume as humans when we’re learning things, the brain consumes a lot less energy. That’s what led to this idea to find more brain-inspired, energy-efficient ways of doing AI.”

• Department

  Department of Materials Science and Engineering

• Research Area

  Developing a device to make chemotherapy dosing more accurate for individual patients