Founded in South Africa in 2003 by globally acclaimed South African physicist Neil Turok, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) is a network of centers of excellence in mathematical sciences, climate science and machine intelligence. It has locations in Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon and Rwanda, and is currently headquartered in Kigali. Over two thousand individuals from forty-three countries have graduated from the institution since its inception. AIMS empowers young mathematicians to shape the continent’s future through a twenty-four-hour learning environment with top international and local lecturers. “The twenty-four-hour environment opens up opportunities of interaction among students, tutors and lecturers even beyond class hours,” says Professor Sam Yala, AIMS Rwanda Centre president. “The Pan-African nature of the institute fosters interaction and grooming of ideas at the centers.”

AIMS is also a research hub and it works to increase collaboration between the public and private sectors to prioritize STEM education, research and innovation in Africa through policy and foresight. The institute wants to improve the lab-to-market process by preparing AIMS graduates to support Africa’s private sector or become “sciencepreneurs” and create their own startups. Its master’s degrees in mathematical sciences include a structured ten-month program that prepares students to quickly continue on to a research master’s, PhD or research-related career. AIMS also offers students a cooperative education option that includes the structured master’s program plus six months working in industry to apply the skills learned to real-life challenges. 

Students receive a full scholarship including tuition, room and board, travel grants to and from AIMS centers and a stipend. Funding is made possible by support from local governments, the Government of Canada, the Mastercard Foundation and others. The institute also runs the Next Einstein Forum, through which it helps African governments and businesses to fund and leverage innovation.

Be innovative.
You should demonstrate innovation and creativity.

Show you can lead.
We are looking for students who can demonstrate strong leadership qualities.

Be passionate.
You should have a genuine passion for using mathematics for development.

Think Pan-African.
You should have a Pan-African spirit and a desire to develop solutions for the whole continent.

Students per year: 50 per center

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nexteinstein.org/apply

Main photo by AIMS (African Institute for Mathematical Sciences)