ETH AI PhD Fellowship sparks profile hunt

This looks more like a mentor-matchmaking filter than a brute-force publications contest; the public criteria care about trajectory, fit, and interdisciplinary potential as much as credentials.

• –Official docs ask for a CV, publication list, motivation letter, 2-5 minute video, and 2-3 reference letters.
• –Shortlisted candidates get the annual selection symposium, where they present a research talk and meet potential mentors in 1:1 interviews.
• –Evaluation weighs previous performance relative to opportunity, core AI competence, career fit, interdisciplinary collaboration, and impact orientation.
• –Inference: the public docs do not name a first-author cutoff or explicit famous-referee requirement, so those signals are probably supportive rather than decisive.