Microsoft Research Lab India on Wednesday announced doctoral fellowships in India to encourage students to take up research in computer science as a career.Microsoft Research India is one of five research labs run by Microsoft of Redmond, Wash.Although India has world-class research talent, it awards fewer than 50 doctorates in computer science research every year, said Padmanabhan Anandan, managing director of Microsoft Research India in Bangalore. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe One of the reasons for fewer students completing their doctorates in the country is that post-doctoral career options are mainly limited to academic positions, Anandan said. There are good career opportunities for students who have graduated with a bachelor’s degree, and in these circumstances it becomes hard for a student to justify spending more time on his doctorate, he added. Besides offering some of the fellows jobs at Microsoft Research India, the lab also plans to work with industry in India to ensure that career opportunities for candidates with doctorates get created, Anandan said.The fellowships will be awarded to students aiming to get a doctoral degree. Each student selected under the program will receive about US$5,000 per year over four years, and also $5,000 for attending seminars and conferences during the term of the fellowship. The fellows will also have the option of a three-to-six-month internship at Microsoft Research India. The lab has already awarded five fellowships for this year. Selections were based entirely on merit, and the fellows are not required to research in areas designated by Microsoft, Anandan said.Microsoft also announced Wednesday that Abishek Kumarasubramanian from the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras has been selected through a contest for a one-year internship with the company’s chairman, Bill Gates, and will work with his technical assistance team in Redmond. Kumarasubramanian was selected in a competition called Code4Bill, which was announced by Gates during his visit last year to India. More than 20,000 students registered for the contest, which included three online technical challenges and two rounds of one-to-one interviews. Nineteen students on the short list also interned with Microsoft India for a period of two months.-John Ribeiro, IDG News Service (Bangalore Bureau)Related Link: Microsoft Photosynth Morphs Photos into 3D ModelsThis article is posted on our Microsoft Informer page. For more news on the Redmond, Wash.-based powerhouse, keep checking in. Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 10 most in-demand generative AI skills Gen AI is booming, and companies are scrambling to fill skills gaps by hiring freelancers to make the most of the technology. These are the 10 most sought-after generative AI skills on the market right now. By Sarah K. White Sep 29, 2023 8 mins Hiring Hiring Hiring feature Top 17 cloud cost management tools — and how to choose Cloud cost analysis tools help your organization keep on top of its overall cloud use and associated costs, which can add up rapidly. By Peter Wayner Sep 29, 2023 14 mins Cloud Management Cloud Computing news CIO Announces the CIO 100 UK and shares Industry Recognition Awards in flagship evening celebrations By Romy Tuin Sep 28, 2023 4 mins CIO 100 feature 12 ‘best practices’ IT should avoid at all costs From telling everyone they’re your customer to establishing SLAs, to stamping out ‘shadow IT,’ these ‘industry best practices’ are sure to sink your chances of IT success. By Bob Lewis Sep 28, 2023 9 mins CIO IT Strategy Careers Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe