A new fellowship will provide up to eight scholars from the South with the financial backing to pursue PhDs in maths, with a goal of building a strong corps of mathematicians in developing countries. 

The fellowship programme is a joint effort by the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and TWAS, with additional help from the Friends of the IMU (FIMU). IMU and FIMU will cover tuition fees, accommodation and basic living expenses at a level depending on the cost of living in the country where the PhD is being pursued. 

The programme, called The IMU Breakout Graduate Fellowships, is financially supported by the winners of the prestigious Breakthrough Prizes in Mathematics: Ian Agol, Simon Donaldson, Maxim Kontsevich, Jacob Lurie, Terence Tao and Richard Taylor. 

Professional mathematicians are invited to nominate exceptional mathematics students from developing countries who intend to pursue a PhD in a developing country. The deadline for nominations is 22 June. 

The fellowships will last for up to five years. Candidates must be seriously interested in pursuing a mathematics research or teaching career, and they cannot be receiving another scholarship. 

Both the country of the candidate's citizenship and the country in which the candidate will reside while pursing their PhD must be on IMU's list of developing countries.

Sean Treacy