April 14, 2025, Montréal - Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute is proud to announce the 19 recipients of the third edition of its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Scholarships Program. These students were selected for their outstanding academic achievements, impactful research, and meaningful engagement with equity and inclusion in their fields and communities.
Fourteen recipients were awarded in the Women in AI category, which recognizes excellence in research and academic performance, alongside leadership that reflects a commitment to fostering inclusion in AI. Five recipients were selected in the EDI in Research category for their strong academic profiles and research that thoughtfully engages with EDI principles in its focus, methodology, or potential impact.
The categories offer annual scholarships of $8,000 for PhD students and $5,000 for Master’s students, with a goal to support talent and foster an inclusive, equitable research environment. The third category, focused on socioeconomic diversity, remains open for applications year-round.
We congratulate this year’s recipients and thank all applicants for their dedication, insight, and contributions to advancing equity in AI.
We proudly present the researchers whose achievements and contributions have earned them recognition this year:
Category 1: Excellence Scholarships – Women in AI
- Kiruthika Subramani, Professional Master's - Université de Montréal
- Tamara Paris, Master's Research - McGill University
- Jinghan Sun, Master's Research - Université de Montréal
- Carol Altimas, Master's Research - Université de Montréal
- Shruti Bibra, Professional Master's - McGill University
- Elizabeth Laura Janes, Master's Research - McGill University
- Istabrak Abbes, Master's Research - Université de Montréal
- Beheshteh Toloueirakhshan, PhD - Université de Montréal
- Helen Zhang, PhD - Université de Montréal
- Mehar Bhatia, PhD - McGill University
- Raesetje Sefala, PhD - McGill University
- Léa Demeule, PhD - Université de Montréal
- Sonia Joseph, PhD - McGill University
- Yasmeen Hitti, PhD - McGill University
Category 2: Excellence Scholarships – EDI in Research
- Michelle Lin, Master's Research - Université de Montréal
- Perampalli Shravan Nayak, Master's Research - Université de Montréal
- Xiaofeng Zhang, PhD - Université de Montréal
- Sahand Rezaei-Shoshtari, PhD - McGill University
- Abdelrahman Zayed, PhD - Polytechnique Montréal
