The new programme, funded by Schmidt Sciences and delivered in collaboration with the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) and the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD), will support 18 early-career faculty members from Africa and India over the next five years. Each Fellow will be paired with Oxford faculty mentors and integrated into the University's colleges and research ecosystem, while continuing to hold positions at their home institutions.
Six Fellows have joined the inaugural 2025 cohort, working on projects spanning climate change, food and water security, and STEM applications in biomedical research. The first cohort includes researchers from Tanzania, Ghana and India.
Professor Ben Lambert, Programme Director for the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowships at Oxford, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome the first Schmidt AI in Science Faculty Fellows to Oxford. Their projects tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from climate resilience to sustainable agriculture. This programme not only brings excellent researchers to Oxford but also aims to build lasting partnerships with institutions across Africa and India.’
Kevin Marsh, Director of AfOx, said: 'We are excited to be collaborating with Schmidt Sciences to support the AI in Science Faculty Fellows. The Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) seeks to facilitate genuinely equitable partnerships between Oxford and researchers across Africa. This programme does exactly that by bringing together fantastic researchers to learn from each other in ways which will enrich both Oxford and their home institutions as well as having wide impact in tackling critical real-world challenges.'
The Fellows are working on projects in health, agriculture, and climate science:
Dr Punam Amratia (Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania) is developing AI-powered models to map and forecast malaria risk in response to climate and environmental change, helping health systems anticipate outbreaks and target interventions more effectively.
Dr Vivian Akoto-Adjepong (University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana) is designing lightweight AI tools for plant disease and pest detection that can run on mobile phones and low-resource devices, supporting farmers with rapid and affordable diagnostics.
Dr Theofrida Maginga (Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania) is building AI systems that predict soil erosion risk and guide sustainable land use in Tanzania's Uluguru Mountains, a region of considerable ecological and agricultural importance.
Dr Rohith AN (Indian Institute of Technology Delhi) is combining physics-based models and machine learning to simulate water and crop management under climate change, aiming to improve water security for vulnerable farming communities.
Dr Uma Das (Indian Institute of Information Technology Kalyani) is applying deep learning to predict extreme rainfall events such as cloudbursts and regional storms, to help improve disaster preparedness and resilience in South Asia.
Dr Meghna Agarwala (Ashoka University) is using AI to analyse fossil pollen, charcoal, and other paleo-proxies, revealing how climate, fire, and human activity have shaped South Asia's ecosystems over thousands of years.
The Fellows will undertake a structured three-year programme, combining training in advanced AI and machine learning methods with tailored mentorship, research development, and international collaboration opportunities. During their residencies in Oxford, they will also become members of Somerville, Reuben, Linacre, or Mansfield College.
Catherine Royle, Principal of Somerville College, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome the inaugural cohort of the Schmidt AI for Science Faculty Fellowship at Oxford. For over twelve years, the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development at Somerville College has supported exceptional students from India in pursuing their higher education at Oxford. Through this new fellowship, we are proud to deepen our engagement with outstanding researchers advancing the frontiers of science and innovation. We wish the fellows every success as they begin this exciting new chapter.’