Blog

Note: There is a single, shared application form and application process for all Research Scholar position listings.

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About the Team

GovAI was founded to help humanity navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI. Our first research agenda, published in 2018, helped define and shape the nascent field of AI governance. Our team and affiliate community possess expertise in a wide variety of domains, including AI regulation, responsible development practices, compute governance, AI company corporate governance, US-China relations, and AI progress forecasting.

GovAI researchers have closely advised decision makers in government, industry, and civil society. Our researchers have also published in top peer-reviewed journals and conferences, including International Organization, NeurIPS, and Science. Our alumni have gone on to roles in government, in both the US and UK; top AI companies, including DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic; top think tanks, including the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology and RAND; and top universities, including the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

Although we are based in Oxford, United Kingdom — and currently have an especially large UK policy focus — we also have team members in the United States and European Union.

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About the Role

Research Scholar is a one-year visiting position. It is designed to support the career development of AI governance researchers and practitioners — as well as to offer them an opportunity to do high-impact work.

As a Research Scholar, you will have freedom to pursue a wide range of styles of work. This could include conducting policy research, social science research, or technical research; engaging with and advising policymakers; or launching and managing applied projects.

For example, past and present Scholars have used the role to:

Over the course of the year, you will also deepen your understanding of the field, connect with a network of experts, and build your skills and professional profile, all while working within an institutional home that offers both flexibility and support.

You will receive research supervision from a member of the GovAI team or network. The frequency of supervisor meetings and feedback will vary depending on supervisor availability, although once-a-week or once-every-two-weeks supervision meetings are typical. There will also be a number of additional opportunities for Research Scholars to receive feedback, including internal work-in-progress seminars. You will receive further support from an additional mentor chosen from within the organisation.

Note that for researchers with significant AI governance research experience, we are also hiring for Research Fellows. Research Fellow positions are longer-term roles, offering two-year renewable contracts, which place less emphasis on career exploration and more emphasis on contributing to existing or planned workstreams. There is a shared application for the Research Scholar and Research Fellow roles, so you need only submit the application once.

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Highlighted Interest Area: US Policy

In this round, we would especially like to highlight our interest in candidates who intend to focus on US policy and work primarily from Washington, DC.

Although the UK is currently the largest focus of GovAI’s policy work, we have expanded our US policy engagement over the past year. We are now interested in expanding it further, potentially by building up a DC-based unit of the organisation.

A DC-based Research Scholar could serve as a bridge between US policy conversations and other research happening at GovAI. They could also lead projects on US policy questions, such as:

• What could sensible federal-level regulation of frontier AI look like?
• Are US-led export controls likely to have their intended effects?
• What state-level regulations are plausible – and how will they interact with regulatory activity at the federal level?

A DC-based Research Scholar could also help inform GovAI’s decisions about whether and how to expand our US policy engagement. It is possible that they would ultimately play a significant role in helping us to establish a new DC unit of the organisation after their one-year term.

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Qualifications and Selection Criteria

We are open to candidates with a wide range of backgrounds. We have previously hired or hosted researchers with academic backgrounds in computer science, political science, public policy, economics, history, philosophy, and law. We are also interested in candidates with professional backgrounds in government, industry, and civil society.

For all candidates, we will look for:

• A strong interest in using their career to positively influence the lasting impact of artificial intelligence, in line with our organisation’s mission

• Demonstrated ability to produce excellent work (typically research outputs) or achieve impressive results

• Self-direction and proactivity

• The ability to evaluate and prioritise projects on the basis of impact

• A commitment to intellectual honesty and rigour

• Receptiveness to feedback and commitment to self-improvement

• Strong communication skills

• Collaborativeness and motivation to help others succeed

• Some familiarity with the field of AI governance

• Some expertise in a domain that is relevant to AI governance

• A compelling explanation of how the Research Scholar position may help them to have a large impact

For candidates who are hoping to do particular kinds of work (e.g. technical research) or work on particular topics (e.g. US policy), we will also look for expertise and experience that is relevant to the particular kind of work they intend to do.

There are no educational requirements for the role. We have previously made offers to candidates at a wide variety of career stages. However, we expect that the most promising candidates will typically have either graduate degrees or relevant professional experience.

‍

Duration, Location, and Salary

Duration

Contracts will be for a fixed 12-month term. Although renewal is not an option for these roles, Research Scholars may apply for longer-term positions at GovAI — for instance, Research Fellow positions — once their contracts end.

Location

Although GovAI is based in Oxford, UK, we are a hybrid organisation. Historically, a slight majority of our Research Scholars have actually chosen to be based in countries other than the UK. However, in some cases, we do have significant location preferences:

• If a candidate plans to focus heavily on work related to a particular government’s policies, then we prefer that the candidate is primarily based in or near the most relevant city. For example, if someone plans to focus heavily on US federal policy, we will tend to prefer that they are based in or near Washington, DC.

• If a candidate would likely be involved in managing projects or launching new initiatives to a significant degree, then we will generally prefer that they are primarily based out of our Oxford office.

• Some potential Oxford-based supervisors (e.g. Ben Garfinkel) also have a significant preference for their supervisees being primarily based in Oxford.

If you have location restrictions – and concerns about your ability to work remotely might prevent you from applying – please inquire at

re*********@go********.ai











. Note that we are able to sponsor both UK visas and US visas.

Salary

Depending on their experience, we expect that successful candidates’ annual compensation will typically fall between £60,000 and £75,000 if based in Oxford, UK. If a Research Scholar resides predominantly in a city with a higher cost of living, their salary will be adjusted to account for the difference. As a reference point, a Research Scholar based in Washington, DC would typically receive between $85,000 and $115,000. In rare cases where salary considerations would prevent a candidate from accepting an offer, there may also be some flexibility in compensation.

Benefits associated with the role include health, dental, and vision insurance, a £5,000 (~$6,000) annual wellbeing budget, an annual commuting budget, flexible work hours, extended parental leave, ergonomic equipment, a competitive pension contribution, and 33 days of paid vacation (including public holidays).

Please inquire with

re*********@go********.ai











if questions or concerns regarding compensation or benefits might affect your decision to apply.

‍

How to Apply and What to Expect

The application process consists of a written submission in the first round, a paid remote work test in the second round, and a final interview round. The interview round usually consists of one interview but might involve an additional interview in some cases. We also conduct reference checks for all candidates we interview.

Please feel free to reach out to

re*********@go********.ai











if you would need a decision communicated by a particular date, if you need assistance with the application due to a disability, or if you have questions about the application process.

We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion, and we encourage individuals with underrepresented perspectives and backgrounds to apply. We especially encourage applications from women, gender minorities, people of colour, and people from regions other than North America and Western Europe who are excited about contributing to our mission. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Note: There is a single, shared application form and application process for all Research Scholar position listings.

‍

About the Team

GovAI was founded to help humanity navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI. Our first research agenda, published in 2018, helped define and shape the nascent field of AI governance. Our team and affiliate community possess expertise in a wide variety of domains, including AI regulation, responsible development practices, compute governance, AI company corporate governance, US-China relations, and AI progress forecasting.

GovAI researchers have closely advised decision makers in government, industry, and civil society. Our researchers have also published in top peer-reviewed journals and conferences, including International Organization, NeurIPS, and Science. Our alumni have gone on to roles in government, in both the US and UK; top AI companies, including DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic; top think tanks, including the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology and RAND; and top universities, including the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

Although we are based in Oxford, United Kingdom — and currently have an especially large UK policy focus — we also have team members in the United States and European Union.

‍

About the Role

Research Scholar is a one-year visiting position. It is designed to support the career development of AI governance researchers and practitioners — as well as to offer them an opportunity to do high-impact work.

As a Research Scholar, you will have freedom to pursue a wide range of styles of work. This could include conducting policy research, social science research, or technical research; engaging with and advising policymakers; or launching and managing applied projects.

For example, past and present Scholars have used the role to:

Over the course of the year, you will also deepen your understanding of the field, connect with a network of experts, and build your skills and professional profile, all while working within an institutional home that offers both flexibility and support.

You will receive research supervision from a member of the GovAI team or network. The frequency of supervisor meetings and feedback will vary depending on supervisor availability, although once-a-week or once-every-two-weeks supervision meetings are typical. There will also be a number of additional opportunities for Research Scholars to receive feedback, including internal work-in-progress seminars. You will receive further support from an additional mentor chosen from within the organisation.

Note that for researchers with significant AI governance research experience, we are also hiring for Research Fellows. Research Fellow positions are longer-term roles, offering two-year renewable contracts, which place less emphasis on career exploration and more emphasis on contributing to existing or planned workstreams. There is a shared application for the Research Scholar and Research Fellow roles, so you need only submit the application once.

‍

Highlighted Interest Area: Special Projects

In this round, we would especially like to highlight our interest in candidates who intend to manage projects or launch new initiatives.

Some of our most impactful Research Scholars have dedicated the majority of their time to areas other than research and policy engagement. Example projects include organising high-impact events, serving as a project manager for policy engagement work, and launching a new organisation to facilitate international dialogue.

For this reason, we are open to Research Scholar candidates who would primarily focus on applied work. As one example: we are open to candidates who are exploring launching new AI governance organisations and would benefit from the expertise and environment that GovAI can offer.

‍

Qualifications and Selection Criteria

We are open to candidates with a wide range of backgrounds. We have previously hired or hosted researchers with academic backgrounds in computer science, political science, public policy, economics, history, philosophy, and law. We are also interested in candidates with professional backgrounds in government, industry, and civil society.

For all candidates, we will look for:

• A strong interest in using their career to positively influence the lasting impact of artificial intelligence, in line with our organisation’s mission

• Demonstrated ability to produce excellent work (typically research outputs) or achieve impressive results

• Self-direction and proactivity

• The ability to evaluate and prioritise projects on the basis of impact

• A commitment to intellectual honesty and rigour

• Receptiveness to feedback and commitment to self-improvement

• Strong communication skills

• Collaborativeness and motivation to help others succeed

• Some familiarity with the field of AI governance

• Some expertise in a domain that is relevant to AI governance

• A compelling explanation of how the Research Scholar position may help them to have a large impact

For candidates who are hoping to do particular kinds of work (e.g. technical research) or work on particular topics (e.g. US policy), we will also look for expertise and experience that is relevant to the particular kind of work they intend to do.

There are no educational requirements for the role. We have previously made offers to candidates at a wide variety of career stages. However, we expect that the most promising candidates will typically have either graduate degrees or relevant professional experience.

‍

Duration, Location, and Salary

Duration

Contracts will be for a fixed 12-month term. Although renewal is not an option for these roles, Research Scholars may apply for longer-term positions at GovAI — for instance, Research Fellow positions — once their contracts end.

Location

Although GovAI is based in Oxford, UK, we are a hybrid organisation. Historically, a slight majority of our Research Scholars have actually chosen to be based in countries other than the UK. However, in some cases, we do have significant location preferences:

• If a candidate plans to focus heavily on work related to a particular government’s policies, then we prefer that the candidate is primarily based in or near the most relevant city. For example, if someone plans to focus heavily on US federal policy, we will tend to prefer that they are based in or near Washington, DC.

• If a candidate would likely be involved in managing projects or launching new initiatives to a significant degree, then we will generally prefer that they are primarily based out of our Oxford office.

• Some potential Oxford-based supervisors (e.g. Ben Garfinkel) also have a significant preference for their supervisees being primarily based in Oxford.

If you have location restrictions – and concerns about your ability to work remotely might prevent you from applying – please inquire at

re*********@go********.ai











. Note that we are able to sponsor both UK visas and US visas.

Salary

Depending on their experience, we expect that successful candidates’ annual compensation will typically fall between £60,000 and £75,000 if based in Oxford, UK. If a Research Scholar resides predominantly in a city with a higher cost of living, their salary will be adjusted to account for the difference. As a reference point, a Research Scholar based in Washington, DC would typically receive between $85,000 and $115,000. In rare cases where salary considerations would prevent a candidate from accepting an offer, there may also be some flexibility in compensation.

Benefits associated with the role include health, dental, and vision insurance, a £5,000 (~$6,000) annual wellbeing budget, an annual commuting budget, flexible work hours, extended parental leave, ergonomic equipment, a competitive pension contribution, and 33 days of paid vacation (including public holidays).

Please inquire with

re*********@go********.ai











if questions or concerns regarding compensation or benefits might affect your decision to apply.

‍

How to Apply and What to Expect

The application process consists of a written submission in the first round, a paid remote work test in the second round, and a final interview round. The interview round usually consists of one interview but might involve an additional interview in some cases. We also conduct reference checks for all candidates we interview.

Please feel free to reach out to

re*********@go********.ai











if you would need a decision communicated by a particular date, if you need assistance with the application due to a disability, or if you have questions about the application process.

We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion, and we encourage individuals with underrepresented perspectives and backgrounds to apply. We especially encourage applications from women, gender minorities, people of colour, and people from regions other than North America and Western Europe who are excited about contributing to our mission. We are an equal opportunity employer.

About the Team

GovAI was founded to help humanity navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI. Our first research agenda, published in 2018, helped define and shape the nascent field of AI governance. Our team and affiliate community possess expertise in a wide variety of domains, including AI regulation, responsible development practices, compute governance, AI company corporate governance, US-China relations, and AI progress forecasting.

GovAI researchers have closely advised decision makers in government, industry, and civil society. Our researchers have also published in top peer-reviewed journals and conferences, including International Organization, NeurIPS, and Science. Our alumni have gone on to roles in government, in both the US and UK; top AI companies, including DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic; top think tanks, including the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology and RAND; and top universities, including the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

Although we are based in Oxford, United Kingdom — and currently have an especially large UK policy focus — we also have team members in the United States and European Union.

‍

About the Role

Research Fellows will conduct research into open and important questions that bear on AI governance. This research could take the form of reports, policy memos, academic papers, blog posts, or whatever format is most conducive to impact. Research Fellows may also spend a substantial portion of their time engaging in direct policy advising.

We are interested in candidates with a range of academic and professional backgrounds, who have a demonstrated ability to produce excellent research and care deeply about the lasting impacts of AI on the world, in line with our mission.

Research Fellows are expected to work under the guidance of a Senior Research Fellow, but have substantial flexibility in project selection. They are also expected to offer supervision and mentorship to junior researchers, such as our Summer and Winter Fellows. Collaboration with other researchers both inside and outside of GovAI is encouraged.

We are committed to supporting the work of Research Fellows by offering expert guidance, funding for projects, productivity tools, limited obligations on one’s time, access to a broad network of experts and potential collaborators, and opportunities to communicate one’s research to policymakers and other audiences.

For promising researchers who lack sufficient experience conducting AI governance research, we may consider instead offering one-year visiting Research Scholar positions that are intended to support professional development. There is a shared application for the Research Scholar and Research Fellow roles.

‍

Areas of Interest

We are open to work on a broad range of topics. To get a sense of our focus areas, you may find it useful to read our About page or look at examples listed on our Research page. Broad topics of interest include — but are not limited to — responsible AI development and release practices, AI regulation, international governance, compute governance, and risk assessment and impact forecasting.

Please note that we are specifically open to hiring researchers who intend to conduct technical research, so long as this technical research is relevant to AI governance. 

‍

Qualifications and Selection Criteria

We are open to candidates with a wide range of academic or professional backgrounds. We have previously hired or hosted researchers with backgrounds in computer science, public policy, political science, economics, history, philosophy, and law. 

You might be a particularly good fit if you have:‍

• Demonstrated ability to produce excellent research, preferably (but not necessarily) within the domain of AI governance

• Deep interest in the lasting implications of artificial intelligence for the world, in line with our organisation’s mission

• Established expertise in a domain with significant AI governance relevance

• Self-directedness and desire for impact

• Commitment to intellectual honesty and rigour

• Good judgement regarding the promisingness and importance of different research directions

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills

• Proactivity and commitment to professional growth

• Strong interest in mentorship

• Broad familiarity with the field of AI governance

There are no specific education or experience requirements for the role, although we expect that the most promising candidates will typically possess multiple years of relevant research or policy experience.

‍

Duration, Location and Salary

Contracts are full-time and last two years fixed-term, with the possibility of renewal.

We typically prefer for Research Fellows to work primarily from our office in Oxford, UK. However, we also consider applications from strong candidates who are only able to work remotely. In cases where a Research Fellow’s work would be specifically relevant to actors in another part of the world (such as Washington, DC), we will also often prefer that the Research Fellow works from that part of the world.

We are able to sponsor visas in the UK and the US.

Depending on their experience, we expect that successful candidates’ annual compensation will — if they are based in Oxford, UK — typically fall between £60,000 and £80,000. If a Research Fellow resides predominantly in a city with a higher cost of living, their salary will be adjusted to account for the difference. As a reference point, a Research Fellow based in Washington, DC would typically receive between $85,000 and $120,000. In rare cases where salary considerations would prevent a candidate from accepting an offer, there may also be some flexibility in compensation.

Benefits associated with the role include health, dental, and vision insurance, a £5,000 (~$6,000) annual wellbeing budget, an annual commuting budget, flexible work hours, extended parental leave, ergonomic equipment, a competitive pension contribution, and 33 days of paid vacation (including public holidays).

Please inquire with

re*********@go********.ai











if questions or concerns regarding compensation or benefits might affect your decision to apply.

‍

How to Apply and What to Expect

The application process consists of a written submission in the first round, a paid remote work test in the second round, and a final interview round. Candidates who pass through the second round should expect to participate in a pair of interviews and may also be asked to produce additional written material. We also conduct reference checks for all candidates we interview.

Please feel free to reach out to

re*********@go********.ai











if you would need a decision communicated by a particular date, if you need assistance with the application due to a disability, or if you have questions about the application process.

We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion, and we encourage individuals with underrepresented perspectives and backgrounds to apply. We especially encourage applications from women, gender minorities, people of colour, and people from regions other than North America and Western Europe who are excited about contributing to our mission. We are an equal opportunity employer.

‍