Two Stellenbosch University (SU) students, Haingo Andry and Simon Malan, have been named among the recipients of the prestigious 2025 Global Google PhD Fellowships.

These fellowships recognise outstanding graduate students who are conducting exceptional and innovative research in computer science and related fields, specifically focusing on candidates who seek to influence the future of technology.

Through the programme, fellows receive direct financial support for their PhD studies and are paired with a dedicated Google Research Mentor.

“We are excited to welcome this global cohort and look forward to partnering with them as they continue to become leaders in their respective areas,” said the Google PhD Fellowship Team.

Prof Sibusiso Moyo, SU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, said: “We are really proud of our two PhD students, Haingo Andry and Simon Malan, for the award, and of their supervisors who are supporting them to pursue their studies with excellence in research and commitment to knowledge transfer.”

Andry, who is based at SU’s Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) within the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking, says he was honoured to receive the fellowship which will enable him to deepen his research. “It offers research support and mentorship that will help me pursue more ambitious and innovative ideas,” he says. 

His supervisor, Dr Houriiyah Tegally, Head of Data Science at CERI, says: "We are thrilled to see Andry’s work recognised in the form of this prestigious award. He brings advanced AI expertise to our data science team at CERI investigating the impacts of climate change and climate  disasters on infectious diseases in Africa. 

Andry's doctoral work focuses on climate-driven human migration, using data-driven methods to model displacement during extreme weather events. “The aim is to create tools that can help strengthen public health and epidemic preparedness,” says Andry. Tegally adds: “This research is the first of its kind, leveraging satellite imagery to study climate induced migrations in vulnerable regions of Africa, and investigating how this will impact exposure to certain infectious diseases.”

Another SU student recognised for his pioneering work is Malan, currently in his second year of a Master’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering. He is researching how computational models can learn words from a language purely by listening to speech in that language.

Being accepted into the Google PhD Fellowship Program is a great privilege, he says. “Of course, the name ‘Google’ speaks for itself, and although slightly daunting, it is mostly very exciting. This fellowship allows me to continue exploring my field of research, for which I have developed a deep passion.”

He attributes much of this to his supervisor, Prof Herman Kamper, “whose own passion, enthusiasm, and expertise have inspired me to truly care about the research at hand”. Furthermore, Malan adds: “I would like to thank Google for supporting my research. It is a great privilege to be in this position, and I am determined to make the most of it.”

Kamper, who was the recipient of the Google Faculty Award in 2018 and 2019, says Malan’s exceptional performance during his Master’s studies, including the presentation of a paper at a premier global conference during his first year, made him a strong candidate for the fellowship.

“Even strong PhD students struggle to get an international publication from work in their first year, so this shows that Simon is an exceptional student with the capacity for independent research,” Kamper notes.

Kamper adds that the fellowship would allow Malan to remain at Stellenbosch University to pursue his PhD. “Any international group would have been happy to have him, so we are fortunate to have him here to continue making both local and international contributions.”

The applications are evaluated on the strength of the research proposal, research impact, student academic achievements, and leadership potential. According to Google, research proposals are evaluated for innovative concepts that are relevant to Google’s research areas, as well as aspects of robustness and potential impact to the field.