How to apply for Research Engineer - Novel AI Platforms for Multiscale Alignment

About Future of Life Institute

The Future of Life Institute is a nonprofit that works to reduce global catastrophic and existential risks, particularly from advanced artificial intelligence. Its Center for AI Risk Management & Alignment (CARMA) focuses on lowering risks to humanity and the biosphere from transformative AI through rigorous analysis, policy frameworks, technical safety approaches, and global perspectives.

About the role

This contract research engineer role sits in the Alignment of Dynamical Cognitive Systems program. You will build novel AI platforms that address alignment challenges and practical LLM agents, combining platform development with alignment research. The work includes creating environments to shape multi-agent dynamics, implementing cooperative AI architectures, and building infrastructure to investigate experimental alignment and control approaches.

A typical day

A typical day might involve writing code for an agent-based platform, testing multi-agent dynamics, and meeting with researchers to translate alignment theory into system requirements. You could also maintain internal tools, document infrastructure for community use, and run experiments on cooperative AI architectures. The exact routine is not specified, so ask about team structure, meeting cadence, and how research and engineering work are divided.

Who Future of Life Institute is looking for

• Has hands-on experience building agent-based systems and multi-agent environments, not just single-model applications.
• Can apply multi-objective optimization to real system design problems.
• Has worked on AI alignment, control, or safety research and can turn theoretical approaches into working code.
• Is comfortable co-designing platforms with researchers and maintaining infrastructure for internal tools and community resources.

Tips for this application

• In your application, name specific agent-based systems or multi-agent platforms you have built, and describe the alignment or control problem they addressed.
• Explain how you have used multi-objective optimization in practice, including the objectives and trade-offs involved.
• Reference the Alignment of Dynamical Cognitive Systems program and CARMA by name, and connect your work to their focus on catastrophic and existential risk from advanced AI.
• Since this is a remote contract role, state your availability, time zone, and any constraints on contract length or hours.
• Provide links to code, papers, or demos that show platform development and alignment research in the same project, if possible.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your experience building agent-based systems or environments for multi-agent dynamics.', 'How you have combined platform engineering with alignment or safety research.', 'A concrete example of implementing cooperative AI architectures or robust alignment properties.', 'Your ability to build technical infrastructure that supports researchers and brings theoretical alignment approaches into practice.']

Research before applying

• Read the Future of Life Institute's mission and its work on global catastrophic and existential risks from advanced AI.
• Study CARMA's stated focus areas: rigorous analysis, policy frameworks, technical safety approaches, and global perspectives on durable safety.
• Look for public materials on the Alignment of Dynamical Cognitive Systems program to understand its current research directions.
• Review any published work or code from the Future of Life Institute or CARMA related to LLM agents, multi-agent systems, or alignment platforms.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you would design an environment to study multi-agent dynamics and cooperative AI architectures.
• A time you used multi-objective optimization to balance competing goals in a system you built.
• How you would turn a theoretical alignment or control approach into working infrastructure.
• Your understanding of existential risk from advanced AI and how it relates to platform development.
• How you would co-design a platform with researchers while also maintaining internal tools and community resources.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying with a generic software engineering resume that does not mention agent-based systems, multi-objective optimization, or alignment research.
• Treating this as a standard AI engineering role and ignoring the nonprofit, existential-risk context of the Future of Life Institute and CARMA.
• Submitting a cover letter that lists skills without showing how you have combined platform development with alignment or control research.