Ruwwad AI Scholars (RAIS) Postdoctoral Fellowship

Research independence: The committee values candidates who demonstrate an emerging capacity to define and pursue their own intellectual directions — including the ability to identify meaningful research questions, sustain complex projects, and articulate a vision for where their work is heading. This may be evidenced through doctoral research, independent initiatives, or leadership within a research group.

Technical and disciplinary foundation: Candidates should have strong grounding in the computational or quantitative methods central to their field. The fellowship welcomes applicants from across AI and its adjacent disciplines — including economics, computational biology, data science, and statistics — and does not privilege any single methodological tradition.

Alignment with MBZUAI's research community: The committee looks for candidates whose scholarly interests connect meaningfully with MBZUAI's research priorities and who have a genuine interest in contributing to the UAE's long-term academic and research ecosystem. Strong alignment need not be narrow — candidates whose work opens new directions for the university are equally encouraged to apply.

Yes. The fellowship is open to UAE nationals regardless of PhD institution.

A confirmed host PI commitment is required at application submission. We encourage applicants who need support navigating host PI or institution outreach to contact the OFEA team directly at RAIS@mbzuai.ac.ae.

RAIS welcomes scholars across computational disciplines. If your research uses ML, causal inference, network analysis, NLP, or similar methods, you may be a strong fit.

Completion enhances eligibility and preparedness for tenure-track faculty opportunities at MBZUAI and peer institutions.

Yes. The competitive package includes family support and relocation allowance.

Fellows submit quarterly individualized development plans with their host PI, they engage in career development and check-ins with the MBZUAI Program team.