How to apply for Senior Economist - Effects of Transformative AI

About Future of Life Institute

The Future of Life Institute is a nonprofit focused on reducing global catastrophic and existential risks, especially from advanced AI. CARMA, its Center for AI Risk Management & Alignment, works to lower risks to humanity and the biosphere from transformative AI. This role sits in CARMA's Geostrategic Dynamics team, which examines how AI will change international economic systems and power dynamics.

About the role

You will develop economic models to analyze how advanced AI could cause labor obsolescence, economic instability, concentration of power, financial shocks, and degraded living standards. The work aims to find vulnerabilities in economic systems before they cause widespread harm. You will have intellectual autonomy to propose and lead original research while working with colleagues in international relations, AI, and quantitative modeling.

A typical day

A typical day might involve developing or refining an economic model, reading new AI capability research, and meeting with colleagues from international relations or AI backgrounds to connect your work to broader risk analysis. You may also write up findings for internal review or external policy audiences. The role is remote and contract-based, so you will need to manage your own schedule and collaborate across time zones.

Who Future of Life Institute is looking for

• Has a PhD or equivalent research experience in economics, with a strong quantitative modeling background.
• Can build and critique models of labor markets, financial systems, or power concentration under rapid technological change.
• Is familiar with AI capabilities and existential risk, or can quickly learn the technical and policy context.
• Works well in an interdisciplinary team and can turn early-stage research into clear analysis for policy and technical audiences.

Tips for this application

• In your cover letter, name at least one specific economic risk from the job description (labor obsolescence, financial shocks, concentration of power) and sketch how you would model it.
• Include a writing sample or research paper that shows your modeling approach and your ability to reason about long-term or extreme scenarios.
• Explain why you want to work on AI risk specifically, not just economics. CARMA's mission is reducing catastrophic risk from transformative AI.
• Show familiarity with CARMA's focus areas: policy frameworks for AGI, technical safety approaches, and global perspectives on durable safety.
• If you have experience with interdisciplinary collaboration, mention how you worked with non-economists such as AI researchers or international relations specialists.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your specific economic modeling skills and how they apply to AI-driven risks like labor obsolescence or financial instability.', 'A concrete research idea you would propose for the Geostrategic Dynamics team.', 'Your understanding of existential risk from advanced AI and why economic analysis matters for it.', 'How you would work with colleagues from international relations, AI, and quantitative modeling backgrounds.']

Research before applying

• Read CARMA's mission and research areas on the Future of Life Institute website, especially work on AI risk management and alignment.
• Look up recent publications or reports from the Future of Life Institute on AI and existential risk.
• Understand the Geostrategic Dynamics team's focus by searching for any public writing or talks by its members.
• Review key economic literature on automation, labor displacement, and concentration of power to prepare for modeling discussions.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you model the economic effects of rapid AI-driven labor obsolescence?
• What are the main channels through which advanced AI could concentrate economic and political power?
• How do you think about uncertainty and extreme scenarios in economic modeling?
• Can you describe a time you proposed and led an original research project?
• Why do you want to work on AI risk at a nonprofit like CARMA rather than in academia or industry?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Treating this as a standard economics research role and ignoring the AI risk and existential risk context.
• Proposing vague research ideas without showing how you would operationalize them with models or data.
• Failing to explain why you want to work at a nonprofit focused on catastrophic risk instead of a university or tech company.