Application Guide
How to Apply for Research Scientist in Scalable Oversight
at Iliad
🏢 About Iliad
Iliad is a unique umbrella organization that advances applied mathematics research in AI alignment through conferences, research incubation, and fellowship programs. Unlike traditional AI labs, Iliad focuses on foundational theory—computational complexity, graph theory, and game theory—to address scalable oversight, making it an ideal place for mathematically rigorous researchers who want to shape the future of AI safety.
About This Role
As a Research Scientist in Scalable Oversight, you will develop theoretical foundations for debate-based oversight, investigating judge-oracle complexity limits, graph properties for honest strategies, and equilibria stability in debate games. This role is impactful because it directly addresses the core challenge of scalable oversight—ensuring AI systems remain aligned even as they surpass human capabilities—and includes hiring and mentoring to build a new research group.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve deep theoretical work on a proof about judge-oracle complexity, followed by a brainstorming session with mentees on graph properties for honest strategies. You might also review applications for new team members and discuss research direction with Iliad leadership, all while collaborating remotely with a small, agile team.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Iliad Is Looking For
- Ph.D. in computer science, mathematics, or a related field with a strong publication record in computational complexity, algorithmic information theory, graph theory, or game theory.
- Proven ability to set a coherent research agenda and drive foundational AI safety research, ideally with prior work on debate-based oversight or scalable oversight.
- Experience supervising junior researchers or mentees, and a willingness to hire and build a team within a small, fast-moving organization.
- Deep interest in AI alignment and adversarial sensemaking, with a rigorous mathematical mindset and the creativity to tackle open theoretical problems.
📝 Tips for Applying to Iliad
Tailor your research statement to highlight how your background in complexity theory, graph theory, or game theory directly applies to debate-based oversight and scalable oversight.
Include links to specific papers or preprints that demonstrate your ability to formalize and solve problems related to judge-oracle complexity or equilibria in debate games.
Mention any experience you have with AI safety via Debate frameworks, even if tangential, and explain how you would extend it theoretically.
Emphasize your capacity to hire and mentor: describe past instances where you supervised students or built research teams, and outline your vision for growing Iliad's Scalable Oversight group.
Show familiarity with Iliad's mission and programs (conferences, incubation, fellowships) by referencing them in your cover letter and suggesting how your work could integrate with their ecosystem.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
['Your specific theoretical contributions to computational complexity, graph theory, or game theory and how they enable progress on debate-based oversight.', "A concrete research agenda for scalable oversight that aligns with Iliad's focus, including potential projects on judge-oracle limits or equilibria stability.", 'Your leadership experience and philosophy for hiring and mentoring researchers in a small, fast-moving organization.', "Why Iliad's unique structure (umbrella organization with conferences and incubation) appeals to you and how you would leverage it to advance AI alignment."]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read Iliad's published papers and conference proceedings on debate-based oversight to understand their current theoretical directions and open problems.
- → Investigate the backgrounds of Iliad's founders and researchers to identify shared research interests and potential collaborators.
- → Explore the AI safety via Debate literature, especially work by Geoffrey Irving, Paul Christiano, and others, to familiarize yourself with key open questions.
- → Look into Iliad's fellowship and incubation programs to see how they support early-stage research and how you might contribute.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic application that doesn't connect your mathematical expertise to debate-based oversight or scalable oversight specifically.
- Focusing only on past achievements without articulating a forward-looking research vision for Iliad's Scalable Oversight group.
- Neglecting to address the hiring and mentoring responsibilities, which are explicitly part of the role.
📅 Application Timeline
⏰ Deadline: January 31, 2027
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!