Project Tips

If you’re applying to be a Fellow, you’ll need to fill an application form where you propose a project you wish to work on. We’ve highlighted some of the questions we’re particularly interested in below.

Areas of Interest

Projects focused on the governance of highly capable artificial intelligence. Read more about what we’re keen on here.

Projects focused on technical artificial intelligence alignment. Read more about what we’re keen on here.

Projects dedicated to exploring animal welfare concerns. Read more about what we’re keen on here.

Projects on enhancing mitigation and response strategies for pandemics and biological risks. Read more about what we’re keen on here.

The projects we’ve listed above are general. We expect competitive candidates to start from our descriptions but design more specific and narrow projects. Please note that although we’ve not discussed it, we may also be open to projects touching on catastrophic climate change.

Project Design

We welcome projects where Fellows conduct research with the aim of publishing their findings via research reports, journal articles, book reviews or extensive blog posts.

Note!

We think that the most competitive candidates will craft projects where their main research questions are narrow, clear, and specific. To have a high chance of success, candidates applying to work on such projects also need to demonstrate some unique contribution that their research will carry relative to the existing body of work.

Writing a Compelling Proposal

What exactly should you write in your 2-page proposal?

In general, your project proposal should have 3 parts as follows.

Part 1 should be a section where:

(i) You list your main research question and 2 to 4 underlying research questions (which feed into your main research question) that your project aims to explore.

(ii) You discuss why you concluded that it’s important to study your main research question.

Part 2 should be a section where:

(i) You list the hypotheses of your study (In other words, what you intend to say in response to your main and underlying research questions).

(ii) You explain how your study will be unique in comparison to other work that exists on the same subject. For example, you could show this by demonstrating that no one has done comprehensive research on your main research question yet; or your methodology is different from others; or your hypotheses are original.

Part 3 should be a section where:

You explain – as specifically as possible – the methodology you will use to carry out your study. That is, for each underlying research question, which sources of data will you rely on, and how will you analyze them to extract the information that you need? You should explain this in a detailed manner in your own words (we’re not interested in whether or not you’ve used the most recognized scientific term for a method).

Please Note!

You’re more likely to succeed if your main research question is clear and narrow in a manner that allows you to answer it satisfactorily within 12 weeks (at a minimum of 20 hours per week).

Applications for our 2024 Fellowship are now closed. If you’re interested in being a Fellow, please check back in February 2025.