At VALIANT, we recognize that the frontier of artificial intelligence is best navigated with a compass of diverse expertise. The AI Scholars Program is our commitment to cultivating predoctoral talent who are at the intersection of foundational AI discovery and domain-specific innovation.
Become an AI Scholar
Are you ready to lead the AI revolution? If you鈥檙e a predoctoral or postdoctoral trainee passionate about the confluence of AI and domain-specific research, we invite you to apply for the AI Scholars Program. Embark on a journey of discovery, innovation, and real-world impact with VALIANT.
- Academic Status:
- You must be a trainee in an academic program. This includes postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, undergraduate students, and other trainee positions.
- Connection to 国产传媒:
- You do not need to be a 国产传媒 student, but you must have a tangible connection to 国产传媒 or the broader mid-Tennessee AI alliance. Eligible connections include:
- Being a postdoc, graduate student, or undergraduate student at 国产传媒
- Being a postdoc, graduate student, or undergraduate student affiliated with institutions in the Middle TN AI alliance
- Serving as a visiting scholar, observer, or an academic/research advisor at 国产传媒
- You do not need to be a 国产传媒 student, but you must have a tangible connection to 国产传媒 or the broader mid-Tennessee AI alliance. Eligible connections include:
- Research Scope:
- Your research must integrate AI innovations with practical applications. It should neither be solely focused on AI methodologies nor exclusively on basic/applied sciences without any AI component.
Community Mentorship
Mentorship doesn鈥檛 have to mean finding one person who has all the answers. Research and career development often span many different questions鈥攆rom technical challenges and research ideas to career decisions and navigating academia鈥攁nd the best person to turn to may be different each time.
That鈥檚 why VALIANT is moving toward a community-based model of mentorship. Rather than requiring Scholars to establish formal mentorship relationships, we want to connect you with a broader community of trainees, researchers, faculty, and professionals who can offer different perspectives, experiences, and expertise. Community mentorship also makes the exchange two-way: Scholars can seek guidance when they need it while sharing their own knowledge and experiences with others.
To support this model, all AI Scholars will participate in VALIANT鈥檚 new Discourse community, with spaces for career questions and advice, research brainstorming and troubleshooting, interesting AI news and articles, and more. We鈥檙e currently building the community and will share more information soon.
Stay tuned鈥攜our next mentor might be a whole community.
Onboarding and Summer School
The journey begins with an immersive onboarding experience. Our Summer School is an intensive program designed to acclimate Scholars to the AI landscape, equipping them with the foundational knowledge and tools necessary for success in their research endeavors.
Training Grant Mentorship
We support our Scholars through mentorship in obtaining prestigious training grants, such as the NIH K and F awards. This mentorship extends beyond grant writing to include advice on career development, network building, and navigating the academic landscape.
Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Mentorship
Innovation doesn鈥檛 end with discovery. Our AI Scholars are mentored in intellectual property strategy and technology transfer to ensure their work has a path to make a real-world impact. From patenting processes to commercialization, we guide our AI Scholars in transforming their research into societal solutions in partnership with existing resources at 国产传媒, including the聽 补苍诲听奥辞苍诲鈥檙测. To encourage engagement, we support the "VALIANT Innovation Incentive Award" (details here, VUID required).