The William H. Gates, Sr. Fellowship from the AD Data Initiative

The program will support data science research in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). This specific cohort of fellows are additionally required to have a proven track record in generative AI methods with application to neuroscience or neurodegenerative disease. 

This fellowship will provide financial assistance to non-tenured, early- to mid-career researchers who are employed by an organization but are seeking funding to support their ADRD research (see below for description of ‘tenure’). Other support may include opportunities to develop professional networks, identify mentors, present findings at relevant conferences or other events, assist with publications, and more.

The William H. Gates Sr. Fellowship from the AD Data Initiative is inviting applicants for its second cohort; its first cohort launched in 2023. The program seeks to support researchers from around the world to be bold, creative, and innovative in their data analysis approach to find new discoveries in ADRD, while also demonstrating the value of re-using high quality datasets and generative AI methods. Named after William H. Gates Sr., this fellowship honors his legacy of advocacy and philanthropy. In 2020, he passed away from Alzheimer’s disease. 

Yes, fellows must do their proposed analyses on the AD Workbench. Exceptions may be made for extenuating circumstances. 

Yes, applicants are encouraged to include their own data, including data from multiple studies or sources. We strongly encourage applicants to explore the datasets available on the AD Workbench to be integrated into the proposed analysis. A summary of those datasets can be found on AD Connect. 

Yes, the suggested questions are provided as examples of priorities in the field, however applicants are welcome to address other questions that would be relevant to advancing the ADRD field. 

To support open science, we require that fellows share their results with the scientific community and we strongly encourage publishing in a peer-reviewed journal.  

The program prefers applicants who hold a doctoral degree relevant to this program. If the applicant holds a master’s (or another) degree, has an innovative research proposal, has work experience that can support their research, and meets the other requirements of the fellowship program, please consider applying. Reviewers will consider the totality of the application. 

Yes, applicants holding a medical degree (MD, DO, or equivalent) will be considered if they also meet the other requirements of this fellowship. 

If the applicant has a novel data analysis idea or statistical approach to ADRD research, work experience that can support their research, and meets the other requirements of this fellowship program, please consider applying. Reviewers will consider the totality of the applicant. 

Yes, our program places no restrictions on industry collaboration. Please check with the organization to ensure being a fellow and the requirements of the fellowship (e.g. sharing developed code) is permissible. 

No, we do not require applicants to have prior experience with acquiring funding for their research. 

Our fellowship program aims to support early- and mid-career researchers – those who are not established researchers. In the United States, those who hold tenured positions at an academic institution are usually established researchers. If you are from a country that does not follow this model, have an innovative research idea, and meet the other requirements of our program, please consider applying. 

We prefer applicants have experience with AI approaches in the neurodegeneration field. However, if you have an innovative research proposal and research experience that can support your research, and meet the other requirements of the fellowship program, please consider applying. Reviewers will consider the totality of the application. 

The program provides each fellow a financial award of up to $100,000 USD. The amount will be divided and distributed over the course of the two-year program. 

No, unless there are extraordinary circumstances. 

Fellows are not AD Data Initiative employees, and the program does not prohibit fellows from receiving funding from other sources. Fellows should ensure their home organization allows them to receive outside funds

Fellowship funds must be used for research-specific purposes. Please follow any expenditure requirements from your home organization. 

Please reach out to GatesSrADFellows@alzheimersdata.org if your institution requires additional documentation that is not required for the application. 

The financial award is inclusive of indirect costs, and they are capped at 10%. 

If an applicant is chosen as a fellow, the financial award will be paid directly to the applicant’s employer for the purpose of supporting the fellow’s research. 

No, fellowships are not renewable unless there are extraordinary circumstances. 

Fellows are encouraged to continue their data science research after the program ends. We hope that the opportunities (networks, conference presentations, publications) gained during the program will assist fellows in identifying and securing additional funding.   

A fellowship may be terminated if a fellow engages in scientific misconduct, makes unsatisfactory efforts to complete the research described in their application, or breaches the terms of their fellowship agreement. 

The fellowship does not have a residency requirement. 

No, we encourage applicants from all over the world to apply (please see our Fellowship Rules for certain excluded countries). It would be ideal if fellows are eligible to travel to the United States, if needed. 

The AD Workbench is a cloud-based data discovery and analysis platform that is secure, accessible to researchers around the world, and available at no cost to users. All the tools and resources on the AD Workbench are available to fellows. 

Fellows will have access to standard AD Workbench workspaces, which are equipped with Windows or Linux virtual machines (VMs) that include 4 vCPUs, 16 GB memory, 28 GB temporary storage. Workspaces offer 5 TB of storage that is accessible by all VMs. Additional compute and storage can be made available on a case-by-case basis.

Applications will be accepted until 15:00 PST (23:00 GMT) Sunday, December 1, 2024. Only information and materials submitted through our application portal will be considered. 

No. All materials must be submitted together and prior to the application deadline. 

The personal statement offers a place for an applicant to describe personal accomplishments that have impacted their work or challenges they may have faced during their research career, including those based on gender identity or race. In contrast, the research statement should include the hypothesis, aims, data sources, analysis plans and anticipated timeline for the proposed research. 

Applications will be reviewed after submission and decisions are expected to be made by March 2025. All decisions will be final. 

Applications will be reviewed by experts identified by the AD Data Initiative. They may include scientific advisors and leadership from our partner organizations and other leaders in the field. 

No, applicants will be informed of final decisions but will not be provided with additional details.