How to apply for Anthropic Fellows Program, The Anthropic Institute (Economics & Policy)

About Anthropic

Anthropic is a frontier AI research and product company with teams working on alignment, policy, and security. It posts specific opportunities it considers high impact, and it links to external reading about concerns over working at a frontier AI lab. This role sits in the Anthropic Institute's Economics & Policy workstream, not in a product or engineering team.

About the role

This is a four-month, full-time fellowship in the Economics & Policy workstream of the Anthropic Institute. Fellows work on projects aligned with Anthropic's research priorities, using external infrastructure such as open-source models and public APIs, with the goal of producing a public output like a paper submission. Mentorship comes directly from Anthropic researchers, and the next cohort is expected to start in January 2027.

A typical day

The posting does not describe a daily routine, so ask the program contact during interviews. Based on the stated structure, expect full-time independent research on your project, regular mentorship from an Anthropic researcher, and work toward a public output such as a paper submission.

Who Anthropic is looking for

• Has a research background in economics, public policy, or a related field, with the ability to design and complete an independent project in four months.
• Can work with open-source models and public APIs, or is willing to learn the technical side needed to run empirical work on AI systems.
• Has a track record of public output, such as papers, reports, or policy writing, since over 80% of one earlier cohort produced papers.
• Can commit to full-time work for four months and is available for the January 2027 start date, or can clearly explain in the application why that date does not work.
• Is based in or able to work from the US, since the role is listed as remote (US).

Tips for this application

• Apply to the Economics & Policy workstream specifically, using the application link at the bottom of the Fellows Program page, not a general Anthropic careers portal.
• State your preferred start date and note explicitly if January 2027 does not work, because the posting says some flexibility is possible when this is flagged.
• Propose a concrete four-month project that uses external infrastructure like open-source models or public APIs and would produce a paper or similar public output.
• Read the 80,000 Hours career review linked in the job description and address the concerns it raises about working at a frontier AI lab, since Anthropic surfaces this itself.
• Apply early. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so there is no fixed deadline to wait for.

What to cover in your cover letter

["A specific Economics & Policy research question you want to pursue during the fellowship, and why it fits Anthropic's stated research priorities.", 'How you would execute the project in four months using external infrastructure, including what data, models, or APIs you would use.', 'Evidence you can produce a public output, such as prior papers, reports, or policy writing.', 'Your available start date and any scheduling constraints, given the January 2027 cohort and the limited flexibility mentioned in the posting.']

Research before applying

• Read the full Anthropic Fellows Program page, including the Economics & Policy workstream section, to confirm current cohort timing and application instructions.
• Read Anthropic's published research and policy writing to identify where your project could fit.
• Read the 80,000 Hours career review on working at an AI lab, which the job description links directly.
• Check what Anthropic has said publicly about the Anthropic Institute and its economics and policy priorities, since the posting does not describe the team in detail.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Your proposed four-month research project: the question, method, data sources, and expected public output.
• How you would use open-source models or public APIs to study an economics or policy question about AI.
• Your view on the concerns raised in the 80,000 Hours career review about working at a frontier AI lab.
• Prior research or policy work you have done, and how you handled setbacks or changed direction.
• How you would work with an Anthropic researcher mentor on a project in the Economics & Policy workstream.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a generic research statement that is not tied to the Economics & Policy workstream or to Anthropic's stated research priorities.
• Proposing a project that depends on internal Anthropic systems or data, when the posting says fellows primarily use external infrastructure.
• Ignoring the start date. If January 2027 does not work, the posting says to note this in the application rather than leave it unaddressed.