Program Overview

• 12-18 month fellows-in-residence program for recent PhD graduates in AI and computer science.
• Split time between supporting the AI Institute and pursuing specific research projects aligned with Institute priorities.
• Up to four fellows to be hired in 2026.

Research Domains

• AI agent inter-operability and emerging communication in multi-agent systems.
• AI for scientific discovery.
• Hardware-enabled verification of AI agreements.
• AI's impact on the labor market.

Fellowship Details

• Fellows propose specific projects related to AI Institute goals.
• Projects must be completed during the fellowship.
• Each fellow will have access to up to $50,000 in compute and API credits.
• Opportunity to apply for up to $50,000 funding for convenings, workshops, or working sessions.
• Travel funds are available for collaboration.
• Access to Schmidt Science's AI ecosystem network.

Location and Reporting

• Fellows based at offices in New York City with allowance to spend time at local universities.
• Reporting to the Director of the AI Institute at Schmidt Sciences with assigned mentor for onboarding.
• Fellows may retain existing academic appointments if compliant with policies.

Selection Criteria

• Based on academic accomplishments, publications, relevance of research to AI Institute priorities, and quality of proposed research projects.
• Interviews conducted by Schmidt Sciences, applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

Examples of Potential Projects

• Scoping and possibly launching grantmaking programs in AI domains of interest.
• Conducting AI research for technical paper publication.
• Organizing workshops or advising on smaller grants to build research communities.
• Starting or contributing to AI open source projects.

Supporting AI Institute

• Reading and assessing research proposals.
• Supporting design of new AI grantmaking programs in interpretability, safety, scientific discovery.
• Attending gatherings and representing Schmidt Sciences at conferences.

Subject Matter Expertise Priorities

• AI agent interoperability and emergent communication in multi-agent systems.
• AI for scientific discovery.
• Hardware-enabled verification of AI agreements.
• AI’s impact on the labor market.