Overview:
The Center for AstroPhysical Surveys (CAPS; https://caps.ncsa.illinois.edu) at the University of Illinois National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), in partnership with the NSF-Simons SkAI Institute (https://skai-institute.org/), is pleased to announce the 2026 CAPS-SkAI Graduate Student Fellowship competition. This one-year fellowship supports graduate research on topics directly synergistic with an approved SkAI Institute project. The fellowships will start August 16, 2026, and run for 12 months through Summer 2027.
Applications must include the materials listed below and are due Friday, July 31, 2026.
Fellowship Details:
The CAPS-SkAI Graduate Fellowship provides:
- A stipend of $35,000/year with tuition remission for 12 months
- Computing resources for SkAI-related research
- Travel funds for work related to SkAI and NCSA survey science projects
Two fellowships are anticipated.
Requirements:
SkAI Project Alignment
Applicants must identify the approved SkAI project their work is synergistic with. The current list of funded SkAI projects is at: https://skai-institute.org/research/skai-funded-projects-year-1-2-2024-2026 (soon to be updated—table below). At least one letter of recommendation must come from the Lead PI(s) of the identified SkAI project.
| Project | Lead PIs | Institution |
| TEMPI: A world model for the time-domain sky | Narayan/Samia/Miller/Liu | UIUC + NU |
| Imaging galaxy distortions with uncertainty | Alexander/Starkenburg | NU |
| Automating Bayesian inference of millimeter source association | Moses/Vieira | UIUC |
| AI techniques for inverse problems in cosmology | Chang/Willett | UC |
| AI-accelerated simulations with multiscale astrophysics using physics-based deep learning | Kalogera/Katsaggelos | NU |
| Active learning for bridging temporal and spatial scales in GR-MHD simulations of black holes | Tchekhovskoy/Yuxin Chen | NU + UC |
| Physics-informed generative models for detection and characterization of rare objects in LSST | Ji/Maire | UC |
| Dynamical generative models for N-body astrophysical systems | Chandramoorthy/Rasio | UC + NU |
| Intelligent scheduling for astronomical surveys | Drlica-Wagner/Vijayaraghavan | UC + NU |
| Radio antenna design through learning latent space characterizations of 3D structures | Zebrowski/Krafczyk | UC + UIUC |
In-Person SkAI Engagement
Fellows and their UIUC project supervisor are expected to participate in SkAI Institute events in person at least once a month, on average, over the full term of the fellowship. The project supervisor is the person directly overseeing the fellow’s SkAI-related work and need not be the fellow’s academic advisor (e.g., a postdoc in the research group may serve in this role). SkAI events—including Colloquia, Research at Noon, Works-In-Progress sessions, Journal Club, Workshops, and Industry Panels—are listed at: https://skai-institute.org/get-involved/events/.
A Google Calendar of upcoming events is available at: https://skai-institute.org/get-involved/skai-events-google-calendar/.
This requirement reflects SkAI’s investment in deepening the connection between UIUC-based researchers and the SkAI Institute community.
Application Materials
Submit the following via the application form at: https://forms.gle/QrsDmqLvbpSoBEcR8.
All materials are due Friday, July 31, 2026.
Letters of recommendation [two required, at least one from the Lead PI(s) of the identified SkAI project] should be submitted separately by the recommenders to: gsn@illinois.edu by the same deadline, with CAPS-SkAI 2026 and the applicant’s name in the subject.
Contact
Questions can be directed to Prof. Gautham Narayan at: gsn@illinois.edu
