Application Guide

How to Apply for Co-Founder

at Responsible AIxBio Collaborative

🏢 About Responsible AIxBio Collaborative

Responsible AIxBio Collaborative is a new nonprofit dedicated to reducing the misuse risk of AI-enabled biological tools, operating at the intersection of AI safety and biosecurity. Unlike many think tanks, it focuses on building concrete governance standards and convening frontier companies to create shared resources that don't yet exist. Joining now means shaping the organization's strategy, culture, and impact from the ground up.

About This Role

As Co-Founder, you will share genuine leadership: making strategy and hiring decisions, pressure-testing ideas, and dividing work fluidly as priorities emerge. You will convene frontier AIxBio companies to co-create governance standards and best practices, while owning workstreams end-to-end from conception to execution. This is a rare chance to build an institution that could meaningfully reduce catastrophic biological risks.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve a strategy call with your co-founder to divide priorities, a meeting with a frontier AI company to negotiate a shared governance commitment, and drafting a framework for best practices. You might also interview a candidate for an early team role and refine the organization's value proposition for funders. The work is fluid, fast-paced, and often requires shifting between high-level vision and hands-on execution.

🚀 Application Tools

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Responsible AIxBio Collaborative Is Looking For

  • Senior leader with deep credibility in AI, biosecurity, or technology policy—e.g., former head of policy at an AI lab, senior biosecurity official, or recognized expert in AI governance.
  • Proven experience convening diverse stakeholders (e.g., industry, government, academia) to build consensus or shared standards.
  • Comfortable with high uncertainty and able to operate fluidly, shifting between strategy and execution as needed.
  • Demonstrated ability to hire and build organizational culture from scratch, with a bias toward action and collaboration.

📝 Tips for Applying to Responsible AIxBio Collaborative

1

Lead with your specific vision for how a nonprofit can reduce AIxBio misuse risk—show you've thought beyond generic AI safety talking points.

2

Highlight concrete examples of convening stakeholders or building governance frameworks, ideally involving both AI and bio domains.

3

Demonstrate willingness to share leadership: describe times you've divided work fluidly or pressure-tested your own thinking with a co-founder.

4

Explain why you want to co-found now, and what unique network or expertise you bring to jumpstart the organization.

5

Address the high-uncertainty nature of the role by sharing how you've navigated ambiguity in past leadership positions.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

Your cover letter should emphasize: (1) your specific vision for reducing AIxBio misuse risk through governance and convening; (2) concrete examples of building consensus among frontier companies or similar stakeholders; (3) your approach to shared leadership and culture-building; (4) why you are uniquely positioned to attract early team members and partners.

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Research existing AIxBio governance efforts (e.g., NTI's work, AI safety institutes, biosecurity coalitions) to identify what's missing and how this nonprofit can add value.
  • → Identify key frontier AIxBio companies and their current governance stances to understand who to convene and potential challenges.
  • → Look into the backgrounds of any publicly known founders or advisors to align your vision and language with theirs.
  • → Study recent reports on AI-enabled biological misuse risks (e.g., from CSIS, CLTR, or NASEM) to speak credibly about the problem space.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you prioritize between building governance standards and convening companies in the first 90 days?
2 Describe a time you convened competing interests to create a shared resource or standard. What was the outcome?
3 What gaps in the current AIxBio governance landscape do you see, and how would you address one?
4 How would you approach hiring the first few team members and establishing culture?
5 Given the high uncertainty, how do you decide when to pivot a workstream versus persist?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on AI or only on bio—this role requires fluency in both domains and their intersection.
  • Presenting yourself as a solo visionary rather than a collaborative co-founder; they want shared leadership.
  • Being vague about how you would actually convene companies or build standards; specificity is crucial.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Responsible AIxBio Collaborative!

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