Existential Risk Laboratory
About
The Existential Risk Laboratory (XLab) was founded in 2022 at the University of Chicago as an interdisciplinary research organization dedicated to the analysis and mitigation of risks that threaten human civilization's long-term survival. Originally established as the Chicago School of Existential Risk (CSXR), the lab draws on UChicago's historic legacy in existential risk work, tracing back to Enrico Fermi and the world's first nuclear chain reaction under Stagg Field, as well as the founding of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists by Manhattan Project scientists in 1945. XLab is directed by Daniel Holz, a professor in the Departments of Physics, Astronomy & Astrophysics, the Enrico Fermi Institute, and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics. Holz also serves as Chair of the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, where he helps set the time of the Doomsday Clock. He is an NSF CAREER Award recipient and APS Fellow, known for his contributions to the LIGO gravitational wave detection collaboration. Deputy Director Zachary Rudolph holds a Master of Public Policy from UChicago's Harris School, specializing in AI governance and security studies. The lab's research spans four primary risk domains: artificial intelligence (misuse and misalignment risks, AI governance), biosecurity (pandemic threats, pathogen engineering, laboratory safety), nuclear weapons (weapons on high-alert status, accidental launch risks, policy gaps), and climate change (tipping points, cascading environmental failures). XLab addresses both the individual risks and their intersections, particularly the convergence of AI and nuclear security. Key programs include the Summer Research Fellowship, a 10-week in-person program providing 15-20 fellows with stipends, housing, mentorship, and compute credits to pursue independent research; the Nuclear Risk Working Group, selecting 6-10 students per quarter for original research with real-world policy applications; AI Safety Fundamentals, a seven-week reading group on technical safety and governance; the Chicago Symposium on Transformative AI, bringing together 30-40 undergraduates with leading researchers; and Second Look Research, producing open-source replications of empirical AI safety papers. XLab also offers the undergraduate course 'Are We Doomed?', a survey of existential and global catastrophic risks. The lab is supported by a 19-member Faculty Advisory Committee drawn from departments across UChicago, and prioritizes making its courses, research, and resources publicly available. The lab has received funding from Open Philanthropy and the Future of Life Institute to support its fellowship programs and operations.
Theory of Change
XLab operates on the theory that existential and global catastrophic risks are critically under-addressed and require interdisciplinary expertise. By embedding existential risk research within a major research university, XLab aims to train the next generation of scholars and policymakers while producing actionable research across AI safety, nuclear security, biosecurity, and climate change. The lab bridges technical research and policy by having fellows produce work that is distributed to policymakers and researchers, running working groups that develop practical policy recommendations, and replicating key AI safety research through its Second Look Research project. The ultimate goal is to build a sustainable pipeline of x-risk researchers and create institutional capacity at elite universities for this work, with the long-term vision of establishing a minor in Existential Risk Studies.
Details
- Start Date
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- End Date
- -
- Expected Duration
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- Funding Raised to Date
- $1,173,800
- Last Updated
- Apr 3, 2026, 2:03 AM UTC
- Created
- Apr 3, 2026, 2:03 AM UTC