UK Winter Fellowship 2027, Applied Track

About the Team

GovAI was founded to help decision-makers navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI, by producing rigorous research and fostering talent. Our researchers have published in top venues, including Science and Nature, and work closely with decision-makers across government, industry, and civil society. Our alumni have gone on to influential roles in government (US, UK, EU), leading AI companies (e.g. Anthropic, DeepMind, OpenAI), top think tanks (e.g. CSET, RAND), and leading universities (e.g. Oxford, Cambridge).

Our team and affiliate community possess expertise in a wide variety of domains, including AI regulation, responsible development and release practices, technical governance, agent governance, threat modelling, AI company corporate governance, US-China relations, and AI progress forecasting.

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About the Fellowship

Seasonal Fellows on the Applied Track join GovAI to work on projects in areas other than traditional research, pitched by GovAI or our partner organisations; in Summer 2026, these included projects submitted by, for example, the UK’s AI Security Institute, the Centre for Long-Term Resilience, Far.AI, and the Oxford Martin School AI Governance Initiative. Past applied projects have included organising a high-impact event series, working as a project manager for policy engagement work, developing the outreach and brand strategy for an AI safety org, designing an upskilling programme for policymakers, writing a series of policy memos to inform live policy development, and building internal products and automations for an organisation’s workflows. 

Alongside their projects, fellows will also invest time in upskilling on AI governance and widening their professional network. GovAI will organize a series of Q&A sessions with AI governance experts, weekly seminars aimed at developing subject-matter knowledge, workshops for building relevant skills,  work-in-progress meetings that facilitate peer-to-peer feedback, and social events. Fellows will also be encouraged to discuss follow-on career opportunities with our team and network.

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Qualifications and Selection Criteria

We strongly encourage you to apply if you are interested in using your career to help decision-makers navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI, in roles in which research is not the main duty. Some of the most in-demand roles in the field currently are operations and communications staff, research and program managers, and policy engagement professionals.

We are interested in candidates from a broad set of professional backgrounds, including those with experience in government, academia, industry, startups, media, or civil society. There are no specific requirements for the role, although we expect that the most promising candidates will typically have relevant professional experience in roles involving, for example, communications, policy, issue advocacy, events, research management, program management, operations, fundraising, or research.

When assessing applications, we will be looking for candidates who have the following strengths or show positive signs of being able to develop them:

• Relevant expertise: Skills or knowledge that are likely to be useful for non-research roles in AI governance. As mentioned above, we think that relevant expertise can take many different forms. 
• Quality of work: The ability to perform at the highest level in their area of expertise. We are looking for signals of excellence.
• Judgement: The ability to prioritise between different projects, and good intuitions about the feasibility of different projects.
• ‍Team fit: Openness to feedback, commitment to intellectual honesty and rigour, comfort in expressing uncertainty, and a serious interest in using your career to contribute to AI governance.
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Salary, Duration, and Location

Winter Fellows will join for three months, between 18 January and 9 April, in our office in London, UK. Fellows will receive a salary of £12,000, plus support for travelling to London. While in London, we provide our Fellows with lunch on weekdays and a desk in our London office. This is intended to be a full-time and in-person role. We are able to sponsor 3-month temporary work visas. For successful applicants who require a visa, note that you will need to remain in your country of visa application for some time while the visa application is underway.

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Senior Candidates

We realise that for senior professionals or academics, some of the above may present obstacles to your participation in the fellowship. For candidates with exceptional profiles, we are sometimes able to make accommodations. If you would like to discuss this option, please email fellowships@governance.ai with the subject line containing the words “senior candidate winter fellowship 2027,” a copy of your CV, and a brief explanation of  the adjustments you would require to make your participation possible.

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How to Apply and What to Expect

The application process consists of three stages: 

• In the first round, candidates submit a written application and, if selected, complete a short (approximately 20-minute) automated abstract reasoning assessment, which serves as a pathway to the second round.
• The second round consists of a paid, remote work test, to which we will invite candidates in August. 
• The third round, which takes place in September, consists of a remote interview and reference checks. 
• We expect to communicate final decisions to candidates in October. 

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Please contact fellowships@governance.ai if you:

• Need a decision communicated by a particular date
• Require assistance with the application due to a disability
• Have questions about the application process

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Addressing complex AI governance challenges requires many different skillsets and perspectives. We welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds. If our mission excites you, we encourage you to apply, even if your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification listed. Your unique combination of experience and motivation might be exactly what we're looking for.

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Depending on the role and applicable legal and compliance requirements, some candidates may be asked to undergo background checks and/or due diligence and sanctions screening as part of the selection process. By applying, you acknowledge that such checks may be carried out where necessary.