Northeastern University

Boston, MA

https://www.northeastern.edu/

mature8641 peopleFounded 1898

Northeastern University is a large private research university founded in 1898, known for its cooperative education model and global campus network. It hosts several AI safety-relevant research programs, including mechanistic interpretability work by Professor David Bau (funded by Open Philanthropy), AI safety research by Professor Weiyan Shi (awarded $1.02M by Open Philanthropy in 2025 for research on emergent misalignment and AI agent evaluation), and the Institute for Experiential AI — a $50M interdisciplinary initiative launched in 2019 focused on responsible, human-centered AI. The university was designated an R1 research institution by Carnegie Classification and received $296M in external research awards in FY2024.

Funding Details

Annual Budget: $2,220,000,000
Monthly Burn Rate: $185,000,000
Current Runway: -
Funding Goal: -
Funding Raised to Date: -
Fiscal Sponsor: -

Theory of Change

As a research university, Northeastern advances AI safety through academic research and education. The theory of change operates on two tracks: (1) technical research — mechanistic interpretability and capability evaluation work by faculty like David Bau and Weiyan Shi generates knowledge that helps the field understand and control AI systems, with Open Philanthropy funding indicating alignment with the EA/x-risk community's priorities; (2) responsible AI governance — the Institute for Experiential AI and CRAIG develop frameworks, norms, and training for deploying AI systems safely and ethically. By training researchers and publishing findings, Northeastern contributes to the broader pipeline of AI safety talent and knowledge.