Empowering the Next Generation of Multimodal AI Innovators
An annual award recognizing rising stars in the fields of multimodal AI and computer graphics research.
Giving Back to Academia
Meshy's success is built on the brilliant ideas emerging from academic research, particularly those driven by top graduate students. The Meshy Fellowship is our way of expressing gratitude and giving back to the academic community.
Nerdy to Meshy: An MIT Ph.D.'s Startup Story
When I pursued my Ph.D. at MIT, I managed a monthly stipend of $3,200, with half going towards rent in Cambridge, MA. Like many peers, I lived paycheck to paycheck, carefully budgeting each day. My research was supported by several fellowships—Edwin Webster, Snap, Adobe, and Meta—that provided financial stability to focus on my work. This support enabled me to graduate in three and a half years, culminating in a thesis that earned Honorable Mention in the SIGGRAPH 2022 Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award.
Upon graduation, I co-founded Meshy AI. The startup CEO journey was far more challenging than publishing at SIGGRAPH, ICLR, or ICRA as a Ph.D. student—filled with unexpected obstacles and steep learning curves. Yet, after sweat and tears, Meshy has found its footing and is now the leading product in 3D generative AI. Although our revenue remains modest, I am eager to give back to the academic community from our early successes. This drive led to the creation of the Meshy AI Fellowship. Through this fellowship, we aim to ease life's challenges and enhance productivity for the next generation of researchers, particularly in the fields of multimodal AI and computer graphics.
PS: Interestingly, Snap and Meta, who once supported my academic journey, are now among Meshy AI’s first Enterprise clients. It’s amazing how things come full circle!
Awards
Empowering the next generation of 3D GenAI innovators
2 Grand Prize Winners
We award 2 Grand Prizes of $10,000 each and a 1-year Meshy Max subscription to the most outstanding students, one in the field of Multimodal AI and one in the field of Graphics.
8 Outstanding Prize Winners
Each selected fellow is awarded $5,000 along with a 1-year Meshy Max subscription to support their research and development efforts.
10 Finalists
Every finalist receives a 1-year Meshy Max subscription to encourage their innovative efforts.
Evaluation Criteria
Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate their high-impact research in multimodal AI and computer graphics, including top-tier conference and journal papers or significantly recognized open-source projects. Preprints and arXived papers are also acceptable.
Application Requirements
For a thorough assessment of your application, kindly provide the following details in your submission:
Eligibility
The recipient must remain an active, full-time student during the academic year of the award or forfeit the award.
Research Relevance
The proposed research must be closely related to the research areas of multimodal AI and computer graphics.
Fellowship Exclusivity
A recipient of the Meshy AI Fellowship may not receive another fellowship from another technology company during the same academic year.
Application Timeline
To apply, candidates must submit their applications via our website, providing all required information and documentation. Following the submission period, the Meshy AI team will carefully review all applications and select 20 outstanding candidates for a brief interview.
1. Submit your application
Deadline = Dec 31, 2024 11:59 PM Pacific Time
2. Selection of Finalists
Our team will review all applications and select 20 finalists for a brief interview.
3. Interviews
Our team (including Ethan) talk to 20 finalists and pick the grand / outstanding prize winners.
4. Accounce results
Winners will be announced by Feb 14, 2025, 11:50 PM Pacific Time.