Apply

Deadline

Applications are due November 18, 2024 by 5:00 p.m. EST.

Eligibility

Who Can Apply

• Applicants must be actively enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Rutgers University, either full-time or part-time. Open to students from all four Rutgers chancellor-led units (Rutgers-Camden, Rutgers Health, Rutgers-New Brunswick, and Rutgers-Newark).
• At the time of application, applicants must have already advanced to candidacy or its equivalent and are ideally in their 3rd or 4th year of their Ph.D. program at Rutgers
• Applicants must be pursuing dissertation research in an area closely related to those research topics highlighted within this call for applications.

Not Eligible to Apply

• Postgraduate students who are master’s degree students or postdoctoral fellows.
• Ph.D. students who have not yet advanced to candidacy at the time of application.
• Ph.D. students who will be graduating prior to the end date of the award term (December 2025).

Application Requirements

All complete applications must include:

• Application form, which includes the following questions:
  • How have any personal experiences or background contributed to your passion for your field of study? (250 words max)
  • What are your academic and career goals, and how would receiving a Nokia Bell Labs Scholarship help you achieve these goals? (250 words max)
• Current CV (3 pages max), highlighting your academic achievements, work experience, research projects, publications, and related activities.
• Graduate advisor letter of support (2 pages max): The letter should speak to the applicant’s academic performance, research skills, and potential for future success. It should also provide confirmation that the applicant is in their 3^rd or 4^th year and has advanced to candidacy.
• Statement of research (3 pages max), to include the following sections:
  • Topic summary and significance: Describe the primary focus of your dissertation research. What problems or puzzles are you investigating? Why are they significant to both your field and our broader scientific understanding?
  • Questions and Hypotheses: Outline the research question(s) at the core of your dissertation research. Present any hypotheses you are testing and the rationale behind them.
  • Methodologies: Discuss the methods, techniques, and technologies you aim to use and why they are appropriate for you to test your hypotheses.
  • Preliminary results (if applicable): Please share any early findings resulting from this research, if relevant.

Statement of research formatting requirements: Arial 11 point or larger; single spaced. (A smaller type size may be used for figures and graphs but must be legible.) Please use at least one-inch margins on all sides for all pages. Hyperlinks may not be used to provide information necessary to application review.

Review Criteria and Process

Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria:

1. Academic excellence, including research and educational achievements.
2. Strength of proposed research topic and project, including significance, feasibility, and potential impact.
3. Likelihood of the scholarship’s activities to advance the career development of the applicant.
4. Alignment with the research interests of Nokia Bell Labs.

Reviews and final selection will be conducted by a panel of Rutgers faculty with expertise in the topics of interest specified within this call. Note: your application may not be reviewed exclusively by experts in your topic; therefore, please avoid the use of jargon or undefined abbreviations.