Eligibility:

The scholarship is open to candidates holding a Master’s research-thesis track degree from an accredited university (or a comparable degree) or those who are in their final year of studies toward such accreditation.
Scholarship eligibility is intended for candidates from all academic fields who meet the following criteria:

✓ The candidate is a not an Israeli citizen or resident of Israel.
✓ The candidate demonstrates academic excellence. This will be examined by the Authority for Research Students (according to the information in the application file for doctoral studies - grades of the master’s degree, general average and thesis grade, published papers and letters of recommendation).
✓ The supervisor (or relevant academic department /alternative source of funding) agrees to provide the student with an additional living stipend in the amount of minimum 4,000 NIS per month for the 4-year duration of the scholarship period (resulting in a monthly allocation of minimum 6,000 NIS). The applicant must submit a guarantee from their supervisor (or the alternative source of funding) for this “matching” stipend in the amount of minimum 4,000 NIS per month.
✓ The candidate has been accepted for doctoral studies at the university or is currently in the first year of doctoral studies at the university, having commenced no earlier than October 2021.
✓ Students are enrolled in the Direct PhD Track, upon acceptance for PhD studies by the Authority for Research Students.
✓ Students who are pursuing a joint doctoral/cotutelle degree with an international university. If the primary academic body is the Hebrew University, the scholarship can be awarded for up to four years. If the primary academic body is the foreign university, the scholarship can be awarded for the period during which the student is physically in Israel (up to one year).

The student is required to demonstrate compliance with the terms outlined above. Scholarships will be awarded in accordance with the guidelines for subsidies for accredited PhD students.

Application Requirements:
To apply for the scholarship, the supervisor is required to fill out the following form – English version/Hebrew version.

Scholarship requests must be submitted to the Authority for Research Student at research_students@savion.huji.ac.il, by the dates detailed below.

Selection Process:
Applications will be reviewed by the Authority for Research Students and the International Office and determine the final scholarship awardees.

The program includes:

• Annual scholarship of approx. €53,000 (ILS 188,000) to cover living and research expenses (a monthly stipend of NIS 14,000 + A yearly research budget of NIS 20,000)
• Support staff dedicated to the wellbeing of all program fellows and their families throughout their stay in Israel
• Enrichment activities and unique opportunities for interdisciplinary and cross-cultural exchange, leadership training, community engagement, and professional mentorship
• Opportunity to take part in a growing network of outstanding early career scientists and scholars

Note! A maximum of 24 Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded each year: up to 18 Fellowships in STEM fields, up to three in humanities and up to three in social sciences.
In STEM fields, the academic sponsor will finance 25 percent of the stipend, totalling ILS 84,000 for two years.

Attached please find the detailed application guidelines. Further information can be found here.

The online application opens on September 1, 2022 and closes on November 15, 2022.

We welcome your efforts in encouraging suitable candidates who completed their doctoral studies outside of Israel and do not have Israeli citizenship/residency to apply to the Azrieli Scholarship Fund.

For further information or inquiries, please contact:
Tal Mordoch

Admissions Manager

Azrieli Fellows Program

Phone: +972-9-9705907

Email: tal.m@azrieli.org

www.azrielifoundation.org/fellows

HUJI Contact Person: Keren Sagi, kerensa@savion.huji.ac.il

Currently, Shenfeld is researching privacy-preserving machine learning under the supervision of HU Professor Katrina Ligett.  His PhD focuses on differential privacy and its relation to adaptive data analysis and machine learning.  This is a relatively new area in computer science that explores how sensitive information with research value—such as data from hospital records—can be made accessible to researchers while also ensuring the privacy of the individuals involved.  With the help of his Apple mentor, Shenfeld hopes to create more effective barriers to data breaches, and to move privacy protection from the hands of corporations into the hands of users, so that users will not have to place their trust in external companies.

Prior to Hebrew University, Shenfeld studied at Yeshivat Hebron. He received his high school equivalency degree at the age of 24, after serving in the army.  Until he decided to go back to for a PhD, Shenfeld had a successful career at Mobileye.  “Being able to leave a job in hi-tech to pursue a PhD is a real privilege.  Getting an Apple Scholarship made it possible.  Apple has the largest differential privacy research group in the world and is unique because they put their findings into action--it’s not just theoretical.  I’m excited to do an internship there this summer or next, depending on the coronavirus.”

Each Apple Scholar will receive support for their research and academic travel and a coveted two-year mentorship with an Apple researcher in their field.