The program is open to researchers from Master’s level onward, including Master’s students or graduates, PhD candidates, and early-career postdoctoral researchers. Applicants from academia, industry, or interdisciplinary backgrounds are welcome.

Yes, in some cases. While the program is designed for researchers at the Master's to early postdoc stage, applicants holding a Bachelor's degree are welcome to apply if they can demonstrate meaningful research experience. Current undergraduate students are not eligible.

The program is virtual and fully remote besides the in-person convening event. It is open to everyone globally.

Neuromatch is a US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is therefore required to comply with US sanctions regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). As a result, we are currently unable to accept applications from individuals based in the following locations: Cuba, Syria, and Crimea. We are currently pending renewal of our OFAC sanctions exemption that would allow us to enroll scholars based in Iran. We strongly encourage Iranian applicants to apply. We will provide timely updates on whether we are able to deliver programming to participants based in Iran for this year’s program.

For applicants who have completed a PhD, eligibility is typically limited to within 7 years of PhD award. Career breaks (e.g. parental leave, medical leave, caregiving) are taken into account and may extend this window.

No. Completion of a Neuromatch Academy course is not required to apply to the AI Sentience Scholars Program. Applicants from diverse training backgrounds are welcome, provided their skills align with the requirements of the selected curated project.

The program is conducted entirely in English. Applicants should be comfortable working and communicating in English.

Participants are expected to commit approximately 8 hours per week for the duration of the program (~ 6 months).

We kindly ask candidates not to contact project leaders directly before submitting an application. Given the high number of applicants, direct outreach could become overwhelming for mentors. All essential information needed to apply is provided in the project descriptions. If you have an important question that is not addressed there, please contact the program email address, and the program team will review your query. If necessary, we will follow up with the project mentor.

The level of flexibility varies depending on the project and mentor. Some projects are more structured due to specific scientific objectives and methodologies, while others may allow greater adaptation to the scholar’s background and interests. In all cases, projects are expected to be further refined collaboratively between the mentor and the selected scholar at the beginning of the program.

Participants are expected to contribute to a research project, a written output, and a final presentation.