Encode: AI for Science Fellowship
by Pillar VC
A 1-year AI for Science fellowship by Pillar VC — £115K salary, £100K+ compute, no equity taken. Oxford-based, focused on applying AI to scientific breakthroughs.
Apply Now£115,000 salary + £100K+ compute budget
1 year
United Kingdom
AI researchers and builders focused on scientific breakthroughs. Based in or willing to relocate to Oxford, UK.
Cohort-based (Cohort 3 opening soon)
About This Fellowship
Encode is Pillar VC's AI for Science fellowship, backing researchers and builders applying AI to the world's biggest scientific challenges. Based in Oxford, UK, with support from ARIA and DSIT, the program provides a £115,000 salary, minimum £100,000 individual compute budget, plus benefits, pension, and travel stipend.
Critically, Encode takes no equity — unless they invest separately, they never will. Fellows get access to datasets, tooling, academic and industry partnerships, co-working space, community events, office hours, pitch coaching, and investor introductions. Support continues post-fellowship.
The program spans AI applications across robotics, medicine, climate, agriculture, physics, neuroscience, atmospheric systems, neuromorphic computing, cancer prevention, neural interfacing, materials design, and human learning. The philosophy is 'builders, not mentors' — fellows are expected to ship, not just research.
What You Get
Generous compensation with no equity strings attached, plus serious compute resources.
- £115,000 annual salary
- Minimum £100,000 individual compute budget
- Benefits, pension, and travel stipend
- No equity taken — ever (unless separate investment)
- Datasets, tooling, and academic/industry partnerships
- Co-working space, community events, dinners
- Office hours, pitch coaching, investor introductions
- Ongoing support post-fellowship
What They Look For
AI researchers and builders focused on applying AI to scientific breakthroughs. The motto is "builders, not mentors."
- AI applications in robotics, medicine, climate, agriculture
- Physics, neuroscience, atmospheric systems
- Neuromorphic computing, cancer prevention
- Neural interfacing, materials design, human learning
What Makes It Different
One of the few AI fellowships specifically focused on science applications, backed by a VC (Pillar) and government bodies (ARIA, DSIT), with zero equity requirements and genuine post-fellowship support.
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