Application Guide
How to Apply for Request for Proposals, Middle Powers and Transformative AI
at Astralis Foundation
🏢 About Astralis Foundation
The Astralis Foundation is a philanthropic and ecosystem-building organization dedicated to ensuring AI development is safe and beneficial, supporting entrepreneurs, researchers, and funders in the AI safety space. Unlike traditional grantmakers, Astralis actively convenes and funds bold, long-term projects—like this RFP—that address frontier AI risks at a systemic level. Working here means shaping the global AI governance landscape alongside a nimble, mission-driven team.
About This Role
This is not a standard 9-to-5 job but a request for proposals (RFP) seeking researchers, writers, builders, and conveners to explore how middle powers (e.g., Canada, Australia, South Korea, EU states) can maintain relevance and safeguard the AI transition. You will map middle power leverage in data centers, semiconductors, and frontier AI governance, and design institutions and coordination mechanisms for negotiating with great power developers. Your work will directly influence policy briefings, institutional design, and international AI diplomacy.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve drafting a policy brief on semiconductor export controls for a middle power government, then hopping on a call with a coalition of researchers to coordinate a joint statement on AI safety. Later, you might workshop a negotiation simulation with civil society leaders or refine a grant proposal for Astralis. Expect a mix of deep research, strategic convening, and rapid iteration in a fast-moving, remote-first environment.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Astralis Foundation Is Looking For
- Proven experience in AI governance, international security, or technology policy—especially with a focus on middle powers, export controls, or compute/semiconductor supply chains.
- Strong research and writing skills, with a track record of producing actionable policy briefs, reports, or strategy documents for government or civil society audiences.
- Demonstrated ability to build coalitions or coordinate multi-stakeholder initiatives, ideally involving governments, industry, and civil society.
- Deep understanding of frontier AI risks (e.g., existential risk, destabilization) and the geopolitical dynamics between great powers and middle powers.
📝 Tips for Applying to Astralis Foundation
Submit a proposal that directly addresses at least two of the four bullet points in the job description (e.g., mapping middle power positions in semiconductors and establishing coordination mechanisms)—show you can deliver concrete outputs.
Clearly state your proposed methodology, timeline, and budget in the proposal; Astralis funds projects, so they need to see feasibility and impact.
Highlight any prior experience working with middle power governments or international organizations; name specific countries or agencies to demonstrate credibility.
Include a section on how your work will be disseminated—briefings, workshops, or policy memos—to show you understand Astralis’s emphasis on policymaker awareness.
If you are a convener, describe past convenings you organized (e.g., roundtables, negotiation simulations) and their outcomes, as Astralis values action over theory.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
Emphasize your specific expertise on middle powers in AI geopolitics, not just general AI policy. Articulate a clear theory of change for how middle powers can influence frontier AI governance. Demonstrate your ability to produce tangible deliverables (maps, briefings, institutional blueprints) within a short timeframe. Show familiarity with Astralis’s mission and prior work, and explain why your proposal aligns with their strategic priorities.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read Astralis Foundation’s website, especially any published reports or grant announcements, to understand their theory of change and past funded projects.
- → Research the current state of middle power AI initiatives—e.g., the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), the OECD AI Policy Observatory, and national AI strategies of countries like Canada, Singapore, and the UAE.
- → Familiarize yourself with key semiconductor and data center chokepoints (e.g., ASML, TSMC, NVIDIA) and how middle powers are affected by export controls.
- → Identify recent publications by Astralis staff or advisors (e.g., on AI safety, compute governance) to align your proposal with their intellectual framework.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic research proposal that could apply to any AI policy organization—failing to tailor it to middle powers and Astralis’s specific focus on transformative AI.
- Focusing only on great power dynamics (US-China) without articulating a distinct, actionable role for middle powers.
- Proposing purely academic outputs (e.g., a journal article) without a clear path to policy impact or engagement with policymakers and practitioners.
📅 Application Timeline
⏰ Deadline: October 23, 2026
We recommend applying at least a few days early to avoid last-minute technical issues.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Astralis Foundation!