Xiaofan Zhang a Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL) Ph.D. student has been selected as one of 30 awardees of a 2020 Google Ph.D. Fellowship across North America and Europe. The award recognizes outstanding graduate students who have done exceptional work in a number of computing disciplines. The Google Fellowship offers two years of support, a $35K annual stipend, full coverage of tuition and fees, and the opportunity to work with a Google research mentor.

"The student nominations we received were exemplary in their quality, but Xiaofan especially stood out and was endorsed by the research scientists and distinguished engineers within Google who participated in the review," wrote the Google Ph.D. Fellowship committee. "We have given these students unique fellowships to acknowledge their contributions to their areas of specialty and provide funding for their education and research. We look forward to working closely with them as they continue to become leaders in their respective fields."

To receive the Google fellowship, students must go through three rounds of evaluation. Students must be nominated by their department, and each department may submit up to four nominations. The University of Illinois Graduate College coordinates the campus-level selection process to determine the final nominees from Illinois and sent to Google for the national competition. This year, 30 awardees were selected across North America and Europe among a few hundred eligible nominees. The acceptance ratio of the national competition is less than 10%.

Since its inception in 2009, 11 other Illinois Ph.D. students have been named Fellows in the highly selective program; Zhang is the second awardee from Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE).

Read the full CSL news article to learn more about Xiaofan Zhang receiving the 2020 Google Ph.D. Fellowship.