MEnTorEd Opportunities in Research (METEOR), is a postdoctoral fellowship program sponsored by MIT CSAIL to support exceptional researchers in computer science and artificial intelligence and to broaden participation in the field. Fellows conduct cutting-edge research as part of a vibrant community and are hosted by research groups with synergistic scientific interests.

The goal of METEOR is to enable outstanding individuals to do research in the lab and prepare for careers in academia or industry. The program also features in-depth opportunities for mentorship from researchers in both CSAIL and industry. Postdoctoral researchers selected are awarded a one-year funded appointment (renewable for a second year.) This is a multi-year program, which is hoped to grow and broaden beyond CSAIL.

Participants have the opportunity to attend seminars and receive training on the application process for academic and industrial careers. They participate in group activities with their cohort and the larger lab. There are multiple positions available at this time, and postdoctoral fellows are paired with CSAIL PI mentors.

METEOR Program Postdoctorates (2022-2023)

Vasha Dutell | UC Berkeley
CSAIL PI: Ruth Rosenholtz - started November 2021
Research Area: Varsha’s research is on vision in humans and machines understanding the spatiotemporal encoding in human vision; through examining natural image statistics and ecologically valid visual tasks for humans. She completed her PhD in Vision Science at UC Berkeley, and holds a M.S. in Biology (Bioinformatics) from the University of Oregon.
Learn More | Additional Research

Mackenzie Leake | Stanford University
CSAIL PI: Stefanie Mueller - started January 2022
Research Area: Mackenzie’s research sits at the intersection of human-computer interaction and computer graphics and focuses on designing computational tools for various creative domains, such as sewing and video editing. Mackenzie holds a PhD and MS in computer science from Stanford University, and a BA in computational science and studio art from Scripps College. Her research has been published at several computer graphics and HCI venues, including SIGGRAPH and CHI, and her quilts have been exhibited at the Houston International Quilt Festival, the AQS Paducah Quilt Show, and QuiltCon. She is also a member of the HCI Engineering Group at MIT CSAIL.
Learn More | Additional Research (KineCAM)

Luana Ruiz | University of Pennsylvania
CSAIL PI: Stefanie Jegelka - starting January 2023
Research Area: Luana’s research applies signal processing tools to machine learning, including work that uses seismic wave readings from a seismograph network to predict the region an earthquake will hit; seconds before it occurs. Her focus is large-scale graph information processing and graph neural network architectures. She holds a PhD in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Learn More | Additional Research

Kwesi Rutledge | University of Michigan
CSAIL PI: Nick Roy and Chuchu Fan - started September 2022
Research Area: Kwesi’s research interests include Control Theory (especially adaptive control), Formal Methods (especially as it is applied to Control Systems), Robotic Manipulation, and Convex Optimization. He obtained his PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Michigan; with his dissertation on correct-by-construction control. He works with REALM at MIT AeroAstro and the Robust Robotics Group at MIT CSAIL.
Learn More | Additional Research

Elizabeth Bondi-Kelly | Harvard University
CSAIL PI: David Sontag and Marzyeh Ghassemi - started August 2022
Research Area: Elizabeth’s research analyzes multi-agent systems and data science for conservation and public health. She is also the founder of Try AI, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in AI. Elizabeth holds a PhD in computer science from Harvard University, and is a member of the Clinical Machine Learning Group at MIT CSAIL.
Learn More | Additional Research

Amy Fox | University of California San Diego
CSAIL PI: Arvind Satayanarayan - started October 2022
Research Area: Amy researches human-information interaction how humans create and
appropriate tools for thinking. These cognitive technologies, or external representations range from stunning interactive visualizations of data, simple charts and graphs, diagrams, systems of notation, to even the text on this screen. Amy holds a PhD in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego, an MA in Cognitive Visualization from California State University at Chico, and a MEd in Instructional Design from L’Université Grenoble Alpes.
Learn More | Additional Research

Applying to METEOR

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents (green card holders) or DACA recipients and meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. Member of an ethnic or racial group historically underrepresented in graduate education at MIT (Black/African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or other Native Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latinx)
2. Being of a gender or orientation identity historically underrepresented in computer science and artificial intelligence, including women, trans of any gender, or non-binary
3. A scholar participating in a fellowship or academic support program vetted by MIT (CSAIL will verify an applicant’s status while pursuing a doctoral degree at a U.S. institution)
4. First-generation college students who were the first in their families to graduate from a four-year college or university
5. Experiences overcoming significant challenges in their path toward graduate school -- examples include but are not limited to:

• Managing a disability
• Veteran status
• Single parent
• Holding DACA status
• Financial hardship as a result of family economic circumstances

 Key Dates

• Applications open: November 15, 2022
• Decisions announced: March, 2023
• Program begins: September 1 – December 15, 2023     

Applications may be submitted on a rolling basis, with priority given to those received by February 1, 2023.  To submit an application, please visit the application portal.

Program Benefits & Details 

• Each post-doc selected will be awarded a 1 year funded appointment (renewable for a 2nd year if there is interest) and receive research training, mentoring, and guidance from faculty researchers at MIT CSAIL. 

• Each post-doc will have an opportunity to engage with industry sponsors through various events at CSAIL including a METEOR dinner with all METEOR post-docs, faculty and sponsors. All METOR post-docs will be expected to give a tech talk for METEOR sponsors on their research project or research domain. 

• All METEOR post-docs will have the opportunity to explore research careers in academia as well as industry. Over the course of the academic year, each sponsor is invited to come to the CSAIL to host a ‘lunch and learn’ led by someone at the company, who has a PhD and is actively engaged in research, who will discuss career paths, challenges/rewards of working in industry.  

Application Requirements

• Research summary (past research)
• CV
• Letters of recommendation (1-2)
• Representative publications (1-3)
• Area of interest (applicants may indicate the MIT CSAIL PI they are interested in working with, but this is not required)
• Candidates may be asked to give a 30 minute virtual talk about their past research

Questions?

For more information on parental leave and benefits, please review the MIT Family Leave policies. More information about the program is available by viewing frequently asked questions. You are also welcome to contact us.

You may also be interested in the MIT School of Engineering Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Engineering Excellence.

The founding sponsors of the METEOR fellowship program include Accenture, Google and JPMorgan Chase.