Govai Research Fellowship 2026 | Study in United States — Centre for the Governance of AI

A two-year contract, a salary that runs up to $170,000 in Washington or over £100,000 in London, and a research agenda you help shape yourself. The GovAI Research Fellowship is one of the more established paid roles for people who want to spend their days actually working on AI governance, not just writing about it.

Run by the Centre for the Governance of AI, the fellowship sits closer to a real job than a traditional academic fellowship, complete with pension contributions and a childcare budget.

About the Scholarship

GovAI Research Fellows conduct independent research on questions that sit at the center of current AI policy debates: risk management, threat modeling, AI economics, the geopolitics of artificial intelligence, public policy, frontier AI regulation, and technical governance. The two-year, full-time contract comes with the possibility of renewal, and fellows have real latitude in shaping their own research agenda within GovAI’s broader priorities, guided by senior researchers rather than assigned a fixed project.

Output from the fellowship spans several formats rather than sticking to one academic register. Fellows might produce a formal policy paper one quarter and a public-facing blog post the next, alongside academic publications, internal reports, and direct strategic advice feeding into high-stakes AI governance decisions. That range reflects GovAI’s own position at the intersection of research and practice, sitting close enough to policymakers and industry leaders that fellows regularly collaborate directly with the people actually making AI governance decisions, not just studying them from a distance.

Beyond individual research, fellows mentor junior researchers and contribute to shaping GovAI’s broader research strategy, which gives the role a leadership dimension beyond producing publications alone. The organization is explicit that it wants candidates from a genuinely wide range of academic and professional backgrounds, including computer science, economics, political science, public policy, law, and philosophy, rather than restricting the role to a single disciplinary lens on AI governance.

Because the fellowship is based in either the UK or the US, with location-specific compensation, it functions somewhat like an international research position rather than a fixed academic post. Researchers weighing similar paid policy research roles sometimes also compare this fellowship against the Wilson Center Fellowship Program, which funds a broader range of foreign policy research on a shorter, one-year term, or the Harvard Visiting Research Scholarship Program, a much shorter, six-week collaborative residency rather than a two-year full-time role.

GovAI’s own positioning within the AI governance field is worth understanding before applying. The organization has built a reputation for producing research that gets read and cited by the policymakers and industry leaders actually shaping AI regulation, rather than research that circulates mainly within academic circles. That orientation shows up throughout the fellowship: the emphasis on a clear path to impact in research proposals, the mix of output formats fellows are expected to produce, and the direct collaboration with policymakers built into the role.

The compensation structure also reflects a deliberate choice to compete with private-sector and government salaries rather than pay academic-fellowship rates. A £5,000 childcare budget and a 10% pension contribution are not typical fellowship benefits, and they signal that GovAI is trying to attract researchers who might otherwise be weighing offers from tech companies, government agencies, or established think tanks, not just recent PhD graduates looking for a first postdoctoral position.

Scholarship Benefits

GovAI’s compensation package reads more like a competitive employer’s benefits structure than a typical academic stipend, reflecting the organization’s position as a serious, well-resourced research institution.

• Competitive location-based salary, with London-based fellows typically earning between £84,000 and £103,500 per year and Washington, DC-based fellows typically earning between $134,500 and $170,000 per year
• Additional compensation available for fellows in higher cost-of-living locations
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• A £5,000 annual wellbeing budget, or an equivalent salary uplift for eligible US-based staff
• A £5,000 annual professional development budget
• A £5,000 annual childcare budget
• A £4,500 annual coworking space budget for remote staff
• Flexible working hours and extended parental leave
• Ergonomic equipment provided
• A 10% employer pension contribution
• 33 days of paid vacation, including public holidays
• Direct collaboration with leading experts, policymakers, and international organizations working on AI governance

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants from diverse academic and professional backgrounds are welcome, with no strict educational requirements
• Candidates should have several years of relevant research or policy experience
• Applicants must demonstrate the ability to produce high-quality, independent research
• Expertise in a field related to AI governance is required, along with broad familiarity with the wider AI governance field
• A strong research proposal with a clear path to real-world impact must be submitted
• Genuine interest in positively shaping the future impact of artificial intelligence is expected
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and mentoring skills are required
• Experience in public policy, economics, computer science, political science, philosophy, law, cybersecurity, technical governance, or frontier AI safety is considered an advantage

Fields of Study Covered

Because GovAI explicitly recruits across disciplines rather than favoring one academic background, fellows have come from fields including:

• Computer science and machine learning
• Economics and political economy
• Political science and international relations
• Public policy and governance studies
• Law, particularly technology and regulatory law
• Philosophy, especially ethics and decision theory
• Cybersecurity and technical AI safety research

Required Documents

• Completed online application form
• A strong research proposal with a clear path to impact
• Evidence of prior research or policy experience, typically through a CV or publication record
• Responses to the written application stage
• A detailed two-year research agenda, required for candidates who advance to later stages

How to Apply (Step-by-Step)

1. Review GovAI’s current research priorities to ensure your proposed focus area fits within the fellowship’s scope.
2. Complete the initial written application, including your research proposal and background information.
3. Complete an abstract reasoning assessment if shortlisted after the written stage.
4. Complete one or two paid remote work tests as part of the evaluation process.
5. Submit a detailed two-year research agenda once you reach this stage of review.
6. Attend interviews and complete reference checks as the final stages of the process.
7. Submit your full application before the August deadline, since later stages depend on timely completion of each prior step.

Selection Process

GovAI’s selection process is notably thorough for a research fellowship, running through a written application, an abstract reasoning assessment, one or two paid remote work tests, a detailed two-year research agenda, interviews, and reference checks. That multi-stage structure reflects the seriousness with which the organization treats hiring for a genuinely influential, well-compensated research role rather than a short-term academic placement.

Because candidates are evaluated at each stage before advancing to the next, strong performance early in the process, particularly in the written application and reasoning assessment, matters significantly for whether an applicant reaches the more resource-intensive later stages like the research agenda and interviews.

Tips to Improve Your Chances

• Ground your research proposal in a specific, current AI governance question rather than a broad interest in the field generally
• Prepare deliberately for the abstract reasoning assessment, since it is an unusual component compared to most academic fellowship applications
• Use the paid remote work test to demonstrate genuine research process, not just a polished final answer
• Build your two-year research agenda around a coherent narrative arc, showing how early work sets up more ambitious later projects
• Highlight cross-disciplinary fluency in your application if you have it, since GovAI explicitly values researchers who can bridge technical and policy perspectives

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a PhD to apply for the GovAI Research Fellowship?

No. There are no strict educational requirements. GovAI evaluates candidates based on research quality, relevant experience, and expertise in AI governance rather than a specific degree requirement.

Is the fellowship based in the UK, the US, or both?

Fellows are based in either London or Washington, DC, with location-specific salary bands, so applicants typically choose or are assigned to one of these two locations rather than splitting time between both.

How long does the fellowship last?

The fellowship is a two-year, full-time contract with the possibility of renewal, making it considerably longer than most academic research fellowships.

What does the application process actually involve?

Applicants complete a written application, an abstract reasoning assessment, one or two paid remote work tests, a detailed two-year research agenda, interviews, and reference checks, a notably thorough multi-stage process.

What research areas does GovAI focus on?

Core research areas include AI risk management, threat modeling, AI economics, the geopolitics of AI, public policy, frontier AI regulation, and technical governance.

Is prior AI-specific research experience required?

Not strictly. Applicants come from diverse backgrounds including economics, political science, law, and philosophy, though demonstrated research ability and interest in AI governance specifically are expected.