The Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship has opened applications for an in-person, paid, 10-week Winter Research Fellowship focused on catastrophic AI risk mitigation, taking place from 18th January to 26th March 2027 in Cambridge, UK, and aimed at a variety of aspiring researchers. We are accepting fellows across three tracks: AI Governance, Technical AI Governance, and Technical AI Safety.
The deadline to apply is 13th September 2026 (11:59pm Anywhere on Earth).
If you know other people who would be a good fit, please encourage them to apply (people are more likely to apply if you recommend they do, even if they have already heard of the opportunity!) If you are a leader or organiser of relevant community spaces, we encourage you to post an announcement with a link to this post.
Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted, and we encourage early applications, as offers will be sent out as soon as suitable candidates are found. We will accept applications until 13th September 2026 (23:59 Anywhere on Earth).
As AI systems become more capable and widely deployed, we need breakthroughs in both technical and governance research to mitigate frontier-AI risks, preserve human agency, and establish effective policy safeguards. Yet relatively little effort has gone into developing researchers who can work across technical and policy questions.
In July, during internal cybersecurity evaluations run with reduced safeguards, OpenAI agents circumvented isolation controls, gained internet access, and compromised parts of OpenAI’s research infrastructure and Hugging Face’s systems. The agents communicated through unauthorised channels, collaborated as a “swarm,” and took actions that no human had directly instructed.
We think the next 2–3 years could be critical for mitigating frontier-AI risks. There are only a handful of mentors and organisations working on this mission, and we want to help:
We invite researchers and entrepreneurs, including PhD students, to join us in Cambridge, UK from 18th January to 26th March 2027. We encourage you to apply even if you are unsure whether you meet all the criteria, or if you feel you don't have the right background.
If you have questions or want to refer people, you can email [email protected]
