How to apply for Research Affiliates Program

About Syntony

Syntony supports frontier AI organizations, public institutions, and private organizations with safety research, governance design, adversarial evaluation, and risk advisory. It connects governance and AI risk experts with decision-relevant work at frontier labs and public sector organizations. This is a project-based research network, not a fellowship or employment position.

About the role

As a research affiliate, you contribute to scoped research projects with co-authorship, attribution, and clear deliverables. Projects focus on evaluation methodology, governance architecture, policy analysis, and strategic risk forecasting. You publish under your own name with Syntony providing editorial support, distribution, and access to client problems in governance and risk evaluation.

A typical day

A typical day might involve working on a scoped research project, such as developing red teaming methodology or analyzing governance architecture. You would collaborate with Syntony and potentially clients, produce deliverables, and prepare research for publication under your own name. The schedule depends on project timelines and your availability as an affiliate.

Who Syntony is looking for

• Expertise in one or more areas: red teaming methodology and tooling, governance architecture design, policy translation, AI risk forecasting, synthetic media analysis, or systems intelligence.
• Experience producing scoped research with clear deliverables, such as evaluation methodology, governance architecture, policy analysis, or strategic risk forecasting.
• Ability to work on project-based collaborations with co-authorship and attribution, not as a full-time employee.
• Interest in connecting governance and AI risk expertise with decision-relevant work at frontier labs and public sector organizations.

Tips for this application

• Highlight specific projects where you delivered scoped research with clear deliverables, co-authorship, or attribution.
• Describe your expertise in one or more of Syntony's focus areas: red teaming methodology and tooling, governance architecture design, policy translation, AI risk forecasting, synthetic media analysis, or systems intelligence.
• Explain how your work connects to decision-relevant problems at frontier labs or public sector organizations.
• Note that this is project-based collaboration, not a fellowship or employment position, so clarify your availability and interest in project-based work.
• Mention any experience publishing research under your own name with editorial support or distribution.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your specific expertise in evaluation methodology, governance architecture, policy analysis, or strategic risk forecasting.', 'Examples of scoped research projects you contributed to with co-authorship, attribution, and clear deliverables.', "How your work aligns with Syntony's focus on safety research, governance design, adversarial evaluation, and risk advisory.", "Your interest in project-based collaboration and publishing research under your own name with Syntony's editorial support and distribution."]

Research before applying

• Review Syntony's website to understand their work with frontier AI organizations, public institutions, and private organizations.
• Look for published research or reports by Syntony affiliates to see the style and scope of deliverables.
• Identify specific client problems in governance and risk evaluation that Syntony addresses.
• Check if Syntony has any public materials on their editorial support and distribution process for affiliates.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you scope a research project on evaluation methodology or governance architecture for a frontier lab?
• Describe your experience with red teaming methodology and tooling, governance architecture design, policy translation, AI risk forecasting, synthetic media analysis, or systems intelligence.
• How do you ensure research deliverables are decision-relevant for public sector organizations or frontier labs?
• What is your approach to co-authorship and attribution in project-based research collaborations?
• How would you handle publishing research under your own name with Syntony providing editorial support and distribution?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Treating this as a full-time employment position or fellowship, when it is project-based collaboration.
• Failing to specify your expertise in one or more of Syntony's focus areas.
• Applying without examples of scoped research projects with clear deliverables, co-authorship, or attribution.