The Cambridge Boston Alignment Initiative (CBAI) Fall Research Fellowship in AI Safety 2026 offers an intensive, fully funded opportunity for researchers, students and recent graduates interested in artificial intelligence safety and responsible AI governance. The 10-week programme will take place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from October 13 to December 18, 2026.
The fellowship is designed for talented individuals seeking to develop their research careers in AI safety, with opportunities to work alongside experienced mentors, participate in workshops and speaker events, and connect with researchers and organisations in the wider AI safety community.
The CBAI fellowship focuses on research areas connected to the safety and governance of advanced artificial intelligence. Fellows can explore areas including AI interpretability, multi-agent safety, formal verification, risk management frameworks, technical AI safety and AI governance.
The programme provides an intensive research environment where participants work closely with established mentors and in-house research managers. Fellows also participate in weekly workshops and speaker events, providing opportunities to learn from researchers and professionals working across the AI safety ecosystem.
CBAI reports that members of its inaugural fellowship cohort went on to join organisations including Goodfire and Redwood, establish their own research group, have work accepted at NeurIPS and ICLR, and share research reports with policymakers in Washington, DC.
What the Fellowship Offers
The CBAI Fall 2026 fellowship provides a range of support designed to help participants concentrate on research and professional development.
Benefits listed by CBAI include:
- Stipend
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Dedicated workspace
- Research mentorship
- Professional development
- Networking and community opportunities
- Research support
- Extension fellowship opportunities
These benefits make the programme particularly relevant to students, researchers and early-career professionals seeking practical experience and connections within the AI safety field.
Who Can Apply?
CBAI welcomes applications from individuals who are deeply committed to advancing the safety and responsible governance of artificial intelligence.
The programme specifically highlights:
- Undergraduate students
- Master’s students
- PhD students
- Postdoctoral researchers
- Recent graduates seeking to transition into AI safety research
- Individuals interested in addressing risks associated with advanced AI systems
CBAI places particular emphasis on undergraduate applicants, noting that it considers promising undergraduates to be an underserved group within the field and that some mentors may have undergraduate quotas.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old. CBAI also states that fellows are not employees and that the fellowship stipend is considered taxable income. Fellows therefore need to have the legal right to work in the United States. The organisation notes that previous participants holding F-1 or J-1 visas have successfully used OPT and CPT for participation, but CBAI is unable to sponsor visas for the programme.
Research Tracks
Participants can pursue research in several areas of AI safety and governance. The listed research tracks are:
- Technical AI Safety
- AI Governance
- Technical Governance
- Economics of Transformative AI
These tracks provide applicants with different pathways to explore technical, governance, economic and policy-related questions surrounding advanced artificial intelligence.
Mentorship and Networking
The fellowship offers access to a broad group of mentors and speakers from universities, research organisations and AI companies.
Fall 2026 mentors listed by CBAI include David Bau of Northeastern University, Stephen Casper of Harvard Kennedy School, Dylan Hadfield-Menell of MIT, James Mickens of Harvard University, Nikola Jurkovic of METR, Adam Tauman Kalai of the Institute for Responsible Superintelligence, and Peter Slattery of the MIT AI Risk Initiative, among others.
The programme also hosts a speaker series. Past speakers include Joe Carlsmith of Anthropic, Ekdeep Singh Lubana of Goodfire, Stewy Slocum of xAI and Max Nadeau of Coefficient Giving.
Application Process
The CBAI application process consists of four stages:
- General application form
- 15-minute interview with CBAI
- Mentor-specific question, test task or code screening, where applicable
- Interview with the selected mentor
For the Fall 2026 cohort, applications were due September 6 at 11:59 p.m. Applicants interested in future cohorts can use CBAI’s expression-of-interest form to receive updates. CBAI also indicated that J-1 visa sponsorship would become available for a future Spring cycle.
Why Consider the CBAI Fellowship?
The CBAI Fall Research Fellowship provides an opportunity for aspiring AI safety researchers to gain intensive research experience while working within an established community of researchers and mentors.
For students, recent graduates and researchers exploring careers in AI safety, the programme combines research support, mentorship, professional development, accommodation, meals, networking and a dedicated workspace. Its focus on both technical and governance questions also allows participants from different academic and professional backgrounds to engage with the rapidly developing field of AI safety.
Interested applicants can monitor CBAI for announcements about upcoming fellowship cohorts and application periods.
Organisation: Cambridge Boston Alignment Initiative (CBAI)
Programme: Fall Research Fellowship in AI Safety 2026
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Duration: October 13–December 18, 2026
Programme length: 10 weeks
Funding: Fully funded
Age requirement: 18+
Application deadline: September 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
