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Residency
Work on a high-impact project in techical AI safety, AI governance and strategy, or AI ecosystem building, to build domain-specific skills and expertise.
Residency
Work on a high-impact project in techical AI safety, AI governance and strategy, or AI ecosystem building, to build domain-specific skills and expertise.
About the programme
About the programme
Our project-based residency helps talented and ambitious students in London take the first steps toward a high-impact research career. Over 8 weeks, participants work in small teams (of 2-4 residents) on an AI safety project within one of our three tracks:
Technical AI Safety
AI Governance and Strategy
AI Ecosystem Building
Kick-Off Weekend
All fellows are expected to attend the programme's kick-off weekend, which will be held in-person at Impact First's London based office.
As a fellow, over the course of the weekend you will:
Connect with the residents in your cohort
Build essential skills through interactive workshops
Express interest in proposed projects
Be assigned a project and mentor
Explore the direction and scope of your project
Research Phase
Each participant is expected to dedicate at least 5 hours per week to the programme, though each team can determine their exact time commitment. Based on previous cohorts, the most successful teams tend to include members who can commit up to 10 hours per week.
Every week, your team will submit written work to your mentor for review ahead of your check-in meeting. During these meetings, you will update your mentor on your progress, and they will provide constructive feedback to guide your next steps.
On select dates, you’ll also have access to the Impact First's office for team meetings and co-working sessions.
Final Submission
At the end of the programme, each team will submit a final written report, which will be evaluated by a panel of field experts. With permission, the top three projects will be featured on our website, and we encourage all teams to share their work publicly on platforms such as the EA Forum or LessWrong.
Particularly promising residents may be invited to participate in our extention programme, allowing them to build on their work as part of a paid, part-time placement with a high-impact organisation in the field.
Programme structure
Our project-based residency helps talented and ambitious students in London take the first steps toward a high-impact research career. Over 8 weeks, participants work in small teams (of 2-4 residents) on an AI safety project within one of our three tracks:
Technical AI Safety
AI Governance and Strategy
AI Ecosystem Building
About the programme
Programme structure
Programme structure
Kick-Off Weekend
All fellows are expected to attend the programme's kick-off weekend, which will be held in-person at Impact First's London based office.
As a fellow, over the course of the weekend you will:
Connect with the residents in your cohort
Build essential skills through interactive workshops
Express interest in proposed projects
Be assigned a project and mentor
Explore the direction and scope of your project
Research Phase
Each participant is expected to dedicate at least 5 hours per week to the programme, though each team can determine their exact time commitment. Based on previous cohorts, the most successful teams tend to include members who can commit up to 10 hours per week.
Every week, your team will submit written work to your mentor for review ahead of your check-in meeting. During these meetings, you will update your mentor on your progress, and they will provide constructive feedback to guide your next steps.
On select dates, you’ll also have access to the Impact First's office for team meetings and co-working sessions.
Final Submission
At the end of the programme, each team will submit a final written report, which will be evaluated by a panel of field experts. With permission, the top three projects will be featured on our website, and we encourage all teams to share their work publicly on platforms such as the EA Forum or LessWrong.
Particularly promising residents may be invited to participate in our extention programme, allowing them to build on their work as part of a paid, part-time placement with a high-impact organisation in the field.
Streams
Our research projects focus on helping solve important, tractable, and neglected problems within AI safety.
Technical AI Safety
Projects addressing the technical challenges of making advanced AI systems safe and secure, including AI safety research, AI security, AI hardware, and technical governance. These projects help develop the technical knowledge and tools needed to manage risks from increasingly capable AI.
Technical AI Safety
Projects addressing the technical challenges of making advanced AI systems safe and secure, including AI safety research, AI security, AI hardware, and technical governance. These projects help develop the technical knowledge and tools needed to manage risks from increasingly capable AI.
AI Governance and Strategy
Projects exploring the policies, institutions, and strategic questions surrounding advanced AI, including AI policy, government, China, forecasting, macrostrategy, and AI misuse. These projects help develop better approaches to managing the societal and geopolitical risks of advanced AI.
AI Ecosystem Building
Projects strengthening the wider ecosystem needed for AI safety, including field-building, grantmaking, founding organisations, advocacy, and research communication. These projects help build the people, organisations, funding, and knowledge needed to make progress on AI safety long term.
Testimonials
Read testimonials from fellows who have participated in the residency (previously the Impact First Research Fellowship).
"Arcadia’s support style didn’t stop with our project, it was clear they wanted to develop us to go on to have a meaningful impact."
"This was a great opportunity to work on a proposal that could actually positively impact the world. I had the opportunity to speak with and gather insights from various experts at top organisations. I cannot recommend this programme enough!"
"I learned practical skills like transcribing interviews, qualitative coding, and working with research frameworks - things I hadn't done before."
"I am very inspired by people participating in this programme and truly impressed by how much thought and effort each team put into their research."
"This was my first formal research project and in just 8 weeks, my research skills and my confidence in my ability to work on global challenges have skyrocketed."
"Students from different backgrounds get together to discuss the most pressing challenges in the world. You can not only discuss in your own group, but also meet friends in different research tracks. What could be a more thrilling experience than this?"
"Arcadia’s support style didn’t stop with our project, it was clear they wanted to develop us to go on to have a meaningful impact."
"I learned practical skills like transcribing interviews, qualitative coding, and working with research frameworks - things I hadn't done before."
"This was my first formal research project and in just 8 weeks, my research skills and my confidence in my ability to work on global challenges have skyrocketed."
"This was a great opportunity to work on a proposal that could actually positively impact the world. I had the opportunity to speak with and gather insights from various experts at top organisations. I cannot recommend this programme enough!"
"I am very inspired by people participating in this programme and truly impressed by how much thought and effort each team put into their research."
"Students from different backgrounds get together to discuss the most pressing challenges in the world. You can not only discuss in your own group, but also meet friends in different research tracks. What could be a more thrilling experience than this?"
"Arcadia’s support style didn’t stop with our project, it was clear they wanted to develop us to go on to have a meaningful impact."
"I learned practical skills like transcribing interviews, qualitative coding, and working with research frameworks - things I hadn't done before."
"This was my first formal research project and in just 8 weeks, my research skills and my confidence in my ability to work on global challenges have skyrocketed."
"This was a great opportunity to work on a proposal that could actually positively impact the world. I had the opportunity to speak with and gather insights from various experts at top organisations. I cannot recommend this programme enough!"
"I am very inspired by people participating in this programme and truly impressed by how much thought and effort each team put into their research."
"Students from different backgrounds get together to discuss the most pressing challenges in the world. You can not only discuss in your own group, but also meet friends in different research tracks. What could be a more thrilling experience than this?"