GovAI Fellowship
About
The GovAI Fellowship is operated by the Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI), a research and field-building organization dedicated to helping humanity navigate the transition to advanced AI. GovAI was founded at Yale University in 2016 by Prof. Allan Dafoe, became an academic center at Oxford University in 2018, and incorporated as an independent nonprofit in 2021. The fellowship program has been a cornerstone of GovAI's mission since its independent launch. The fellowship runs for three months, twice a year (Summer and Winter cohorts), and is currently based in London. Fellows receive a stipend of £12,000 along with travel support, weekday lunches, and a dedicated workspace. Visa sponsorship is available for eligible international applicants. The program begins with two weeks of project exploration and scoping with a dedicated mentor, followed by ten weeks of execution. The Research Track is designed for individuals who want to conduct independent research on AI governance topics, including risk analysis, international policy, technical governance, AI economics, and geopolitics. The Applied Track is designed for professionals in communications, policy advocacy, operations, program management, events, or fundraising who want to contribute to the AI governance field through non-research projects. Past applied projects have included organizing high-impact events, developing communications strategies, and writing policy memos for live policy processes. A third variant, the DC Summer Fellowship, is a bipartisan program focused on American AI governance and policy, with a stipend of $21,000. Fellowship alumni have gone on to positions in US, UK, and EU government agencies; leading AI companies including Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic; think tanks such as CSET and RAND; and universities including Oxford and Cambridge. GovAI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States (EIN 99-4000294) and operates a UK subsidiary registered in England and Wales (company number 15883729). Its London office is located at 210 Pentonville Road, N1 9JY.
Theory of Change
GovAI's fellowship addresses a critical talent bottleneck in AI governance: there are too few people with the skills, knowledge, and networks to shape how advanced AI is developed and deployed. By providing structured three-month immersions with mentorship, stipends, expert access, and community, the fellowship accelerates the transition of talented individuals into full-time AI governance careers. Fellows who go on to work in government, AI labs, think tanks, or academia then produce research, advise on policy, and make decisions that reduce the risks posed by advanced AI systems. The fellowship's theory of change is that investing in human capital early — before the most critical governance decisions are made — is a high-leverage way to increase the probability of good outcomes from the AI transition.
Details
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- End Date
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- Expected Duration
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- Funding Raised to Date
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- Last Updated
- Apr 3, 2026, 1:19 AM UTC
- Created
- Apr 3, 2026, 1:19 AM UTC