We are pleased to announce a new Faculty Fellowship program designed to support junior faculty at Nigerian universities interested in advancing and accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) within the natural sciences. Funded by Schmidt Sciences, the program will host 20 junior faculty members over the next two years, enabling them to engage in pioneering research by capitalizing on the university’s prestigious programs, esteemed faculty, and dynamic data science ecosystem. In addition to the University of Chicago, the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, and the University of Michigan have also received funding from Schmidt Sciences to expand their programs to welcome faculty fellows. 

This initiative builds upon the Schmidt Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, launched at UChicago in 2022 by Prof. Rebecca Willett (Computer Science), Prof. David Freedman (Neurobiology), and Prof. Joshua Frieman (Astronomy and Astrophysics). The Schmidt Faculty Fellows will participate in various training activities, seminars, conferences, and workshops, receiving specialized training in AI and machine learning methods pertinent to their research. Together with current Schmidt postdoctoral fellows, they will form a distinguished cohort of scholars engaged in collaborative training and research activities across the data science and AI ecosystem at UChicago.

Prof. Chibueze Amanchukwu (Pritzker Molecular Engineering) was instrumental in facilitating collaborations with Nigerian universities. “The AI revolution is sweeping the planet with promises to change science and society. Ensuring that Nigerians are active participants in using AI for our scientific challenges as well as shaping the direction that AI takes in the planet is of great importance. I am really excited about the program because it shows UChicago and Schmidt Sciences commitment to ensuring that AI+Science has no borders,” said Prof. Amanchukwu.

Prof. Benjamin Aribisala, Professor of Computer Science at Lagos State University; Prof. Olufade Onifade, Professor of Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics at the University of Ibadan; and Dr. Aderonke Sakpere, lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Ibadan played a key role in developing this program.

Upon their return to Nigeria, faculty fellows will share the computational skills acquired at  UChicago with their students and colleagues. This program represents a unique opportunity for faculty fellows to emerge as leaders in Africa’s AI in Science movement.