Application Guide
How to Apply for Research Lead
at FAR AI
🏢 About FAR AI
FAR AI is a nonprofit that bridges the gap between academia and industry, focusing on high-risk, high-impact AI safety research. Unlike many organizations, FAR AI incubates ambitious agendas that are too resource-intensive for academia but not yet commercial, offering a unique environment for pioneering work. Their mission to ensure AI systems are trustworthy and beneficial makes them a compelling place for researchers committed to reducing catastrophic AI risks.
About This Role
As a Research Lead at FAR AI, you will define and drive a research agenda aimed at mitigating catastrophic risks from advanced AI, while building and mentoring a technical team. This role combines hands-on research with leadership, requiring you to navigate uncertain outcomes and develop a clear theory of change. Your work will directly contribute to shaping the trajectory of AI safety, with potential impact on global policy and industry standards.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start with a stand-up meeting with your research team to discuss progress on experiments and roadblocks. You'll then spend a few hours coding or analyzing results, followed by one-on-one mentoring sessions. Afternoon could involve writing a paper draft or preparing a policy briefing, ending with a literature review to identify new directions.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who FAR AI Is Looking For
- A researcher with a proven track record of leading impactful projects in AI safety, such as interpretability, alignment, or robustness, with publications in top venues like NeurIPS, ICML, or ICLR.
- Strong technical background in machine learning, including deep understanding of transformer architectures, reinforcement learning, or mechanistic interpretability, with hands-on coding skills in Python and frameworks like PyTorch or JAX.
- Experience mentoring junior researchers or managing a small team, with ability to foster collaboration and provide constructive feedback on technical work.
- Excellent communicator who can articulate complex ideas to diverse audiences, including writing papers for top venues and preparing policy briefings for non-technical stakeholders.
📝 Tips for Applying to FAR AI
Tailor your research statement to explicitly address one of FAR AI's focus areas (e.g., interpretability, adversarial robustness, or AI governance) and explain how your agenda reduces catastrophic risks, not just improves AI performance.
Include a specific example of a past project where you led a team through uncertain research outcomes, highlighting how you adapted and what you learned.
Mention any experience with policy or public engagement, such as contributing to AI safety reports or briefing government officials, as FAR AI values real-world impact.
Show your ability to think in terms of theory of change: in your cover letter, outline your vision for how your research could influence industry or policy within 5 years.
Demonstrate familiarity with FAR AI's published work or blog posts (e.g., on their website or Alignment Forum) and reference specific ideas you'd build upon.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Emphasize your personal motivation for reducing catastrophic AI risks and how this aligns with FAR AI's mission, not just general AI ethics.", 'Highlight your leadership experience in research, particularly in managing teams with uncertain milestones and fostering a collaborative culture.', 'Articulate a clear theory of change for your proposed research agenda, connecting technical contributions to risk reduction pathways.', 'Show your ability to communicate beyond academia, e.g., by summarizing a complex idea for a policy audience in a few sentences.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read FAR AI's recent publications and blog posts on their website (far.ai) to understand their current research directions and terminology.
- → Study the 'theory of change' concept used in AI safety, particularly from organizations like MIRI or DeepMind Safety, to frame your agenda.
- → Review the AI safety landscape reports (e.g., from FLI or CSER) to identify gaps that FAR AI might want to fill.
- → Follow key people at FAR AI on Twitter or Alignment Forum to get a sense of their ongoing discussions and priorities.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic cover letter that doesn't reference FAR AI's specific mission or past work; make it clear you've done your homework.
- Overpromising on timelines or certainty; FAR AI values honesty about the difficulty and uncertainty of AI safety research.
- Focusing solely on technical details without connecting to broader impact; always tie your work back to risk reduction.
📅 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:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!