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Our Fellowship
Six weeks of serious thinking about the world's most pressing problems with people who intend to do something about them.
About
About
When it comes to tackling the world’s most pressing problems, few things matter more than the contributions of exceptionally talented people - and yet remarkably few receive the support they need to make the contributions they are capable of.
Our fellowship exists to close that gap. Each round, we bring together 25 exceptional people to think seriously about what the world's most pressing problems are and how they might help solve them. You'll work through curated readings from the best thinking on those problems, join structured discussions led by trained facilitators, and (most importantly) gain a peer group of unusually thoughtful and ambitious people who will challenge you, sharpen your ideas, raise your aspirations, and hold you to them.
By the end of the programme, you’ll have a stronger understanding of your own views on how to do the most good, the causes you think are most worth focusing on, and where you might be able to contribute. In the final weeks, we’ll work with you one-on-one to turn those reflections into action - helping you identify promising next steps, explore opportunities, and build an ambitious plan for doing good.
What we ask of you is curiosity, open-mindedness, epistemic humility, and a willingness to question everything - including us. We’re looking for people who are motivated by hard questions, energised by disagreement, and serious about figuring out how to use their lives to tackle the world’s most pressing problems.
Fellows meet once per week for a structured discussion session facilitated by trained facilitators or guest speakers. Before each session, participants complete a curated set of readings, podcasts, or short exercises.
Fellows are expected to dedicate 2-4 hours per week to readings and activities, in addition to attending the weekly session.
Fellowship structure
Content
Content
Over the course of the programme, you'll deepen your understanding of global challenges, including the arguments for their scale, tractability, and neglectedness, and learn the tools researchers use to evaluate causes and compare interventions.
But the fellowship isn’t just about understanding the world’s problems, it’s about grappling with the deeper question of what it means to do good. We’ll spend significant time exploring some of the core philosophical disagreements in this space: the case for and against longtermism, how to make decisions under deep uncertainty, how to weigh welfare across people, animals, and future generations, and what population ethics might imply for what we owe the future.
Structure
Structure
The fellowship begins with a kick-off weekend at the Impact First Coworking Space, where the whole cohort comes together for two days of talks, discussions, and getting to know one another.
From week two onwards, fellows meet in small discussion groups for a weekly 90-minute facilitated session, built around that week's reading material. Fellows are expected to spend 2-4 hours per week on preparation in addition to the session itself.
We run two parallel cohorts each round, one for undergraduates and one for postgraduates and early-career professionals, each with its own kick-off weekend, so you're surrounded by peers at a similar stage facing similar decisions.
Eligibility
Eligibility
The programme is primarily designed for students and early-career professionals between the ages of 18 and 25 (inclusive) who are based in London or within a reasonable (~1h) commuting distance. We would generally consider applicants who can travel to London regularly to attend in-person sessions.
Please note that accepting a place on the programme involves committing to attend the in-person kick-off weekend (22–23 August) and the weekly sessions that follow.
Our Global Challenges Fellowship helps talented and ambitious students and early-career professionals build a deep understanding of some of the world’s most pressing problems - including AI safety, biosecurity, global health and development, and animal welfare - while exploring the philosophical foundations of doing good effectively.
Over 8 weeks, fellows engage with curated readings, structured discussions, workshops, and reflective exercises designed to broaden their understanding of high-impact cause areas and clarify where they might make the biggest difference.
Through the programme, participants gain clarity on potential high-impact career paths, develop a stronger sense of their strengths and values, and map out practical next steps toward impactful roles. The fellowship also provides a supportive cohort of like-minded peers, enabling lasting connections that continue to shape and motivate their journey long after the programme ends.