Frequently Asked Questions

About the Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship

  • On a typical day, you will work in our Cambridge office alongside other fellows. Here, you might have some focus time on your project, attend a workshop or in-office event, brainstorm ideas with other fellows, and have lunch together. In the evening, fellows will often grab dinner in central Cambridge and attend one of ERA’s social activities. 

    You might also have a call with your mentor, have a 1-on-1 with a member of the ERA team or other fellows, or attend one of our fellowship events.

  • Fellows are expected to present their research at our Research Symposium and submit a written output in the format that best fits their project (e.g., policy brief, working paper, technical report, replication/audit report, code + README + evals, founding strategy doc, etc.). We will help you scope something ambitious but achievable, and our goal is to help you maximise the impact of your research, so the bar is very much rigour, decision-usefulness, and clarity. You can see some of the research outputs from previous fellows here.

  • Yes! If you would like to work in a team, we will try our best to connect you with accepted fellows who have similar interests and match you with mentors for group projects. Several fellows also pursue group side projects once they are here in Cambridge. Please note that acceptance to the fellowship itself is based on individual merits and we will not be considering joint applications.

  • Yes! We organise a broad range of events such as speaker events, networking opportunities, and skills workshops. During the 2024 programme, we organised 30+ speakers and 15+ workshops across 8 weeks, alongside convening an AI policy event at the House of Lords in London, and hosting a networking event with the Technology & Security Policy (TASP) Centre at RAND. In 2025, we organised a similar number of workshops, a networking event with LawAI, and a full 2-day technical AI governance conference in London.

  • ERA takes community health and wellbeing very seriously, and we have a dedicated Community Health Lead for each programme. We pride ourselves on having cultivated thriving and supportive fellowship communities, within a welcoming and inclusive environment.

    Throughout the fellowship, there will be one-to-one wellbeing support, social events, and other community activities. In 2025, social events included escape rooms, punting, pub trips, picnics, board games, quiz nights, walks, and karaoke.

  • You will join our exclusive alumni network. We will keep in touch with you, offering advice and opportunities which might help you find a rewarding career working on AI safety or governance. We also run regular invite-only events for our alumni and are willing to support you via letters of recommendations etc.

Application Process

  • The first stage consists of an application form containing some personal and essay questions. We will review these applications on a rolling basis until the deadline. Successful applicants will be invited for Round 1 interviews. Those who advance past this stage will proceed to Round 2 interviews, and simultaneously, we will reach out to your references. After reviewing all this, final selections will be made based on the holistic application.

  • At ERA, we value reasoning transparency and epistemic humility above all else. The fields of AI safety & AI Governance face significant uncertainty on many fronts, and we are looking for candidates who can navigate this complexity thoughtfully.


    We want to see how you think through problems, not just your conclusions. We appreciate candidates who can reason from first principles while still drawing on relevant literature and acknowledging where their knowledge is limited.

  • For Winter 2026, we plan to accept approximately 30-35 fellows across our three streams: Technical AI Safety, AI Governance, and Technical AI Governance. Each stream typically includes 8-12 fellows, though this may vary based on the applicant pool quality.

  • Anyone! We are a talent-first programme and care about much more than just credentials. In fact, we are excited to support fellows from a wide range of subject areas who are committed to our mission. There are no formal eligibility restrictions beyond being 18 or older.

  • Yes! We welcome applications from employed professionals, and also those from anyone between opportunities. The fellowship is designed to accommodate diverse circumstances. If accepted, professionals will need to take leave, and students will need to arrange a break from their studies. We can provide support letters for your institution or employer if needed.

  • Prior formal research experience is helpful but not required. In the past, we have accepted fellows with diverse backgrounds, including undergraduates with strong project work, professionals transitioning from industry, and graduate students.

    What matters most is your ability to think critically about complex problems, learn quickly, and contribute meaningfully to the field. How you approach problems is often more important than formal credentials.

  • Applications for our Winter 2026 fellowships cohort are now open!

    Round 1 interviews will be in the first week of November.
    Round 2 interviews will be mid-November.

    To stay up-to-date for future editions, subscribe to our mailing list.

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Mentorship at ERA

  • Your mentor will provide feedback on your research and steer you towards the most relevant resources through a weekly, hour-long call. As well as perhaps sharing career opportunities, they can introduce you to collaborators and advisors in the field. Your mentor is the best person to advise on publication strategy, where to submit, timing, scope, and venue fit, should you choose to publish.

  • Your Research Manager (RM), a member of ERA’s core team, provides regular project management and, where their expertise overlaps with your project, targeted research feedback. Your Mentor is an external domain expert matched to your project who offers specialised subject-matter guidance. Our RMs are active researchers and, in many cases, past or prospective ERA mentors.

  • While each fellow is formally matched with one primary mentor, ERA can sometimes facilitate additional advisory relationships for projects that span multiple domains or require specialised expertise in different areas.

  • No, ERA coordinates the mentor matching process. Once you’re accepted, we will run a brief research onboarding process to understand your background, goals, and initial research directions, then identify the expertise most likely to accelerate your work.

    We welcome your suggestions for mentors if you have specific connections in mind, and we will weigh them seriously, but the final match will be made by your ERA Research Manager. To set expectations: we don’t promise a specific mentor; our role is to help you scope your goals for ERA, and then find the mentorship arrangement to best support you in achieving them.

  • We select mentors by matching their expertise directly to your research area, such that they can provide the specific technical or policy expertise needed for your project. Over years, we have built an extensive network of professionals across academia, industry, and government in the field.

    The matching process, which is very much bespoke to each fellow, involves careful consideration of your research proposal, background, and career goals, with our Research Managers playing a key role in identifying the most suitable mentor(s).

Logistics

  • The programme starts on February 2nd, and lasts until March 27th. It takes place in Cambridge, UK.

  • No, we provide accommodation in Cambridge for the duration of the programme.

  • We cover travel to and from Cambridge, visas, accommodation, and meals during working hours. Please note that all meals provided will be vegan and vegetarian in-line with our organisational policy.

  • You will be working in the our co-working space in central Cambridge.

  • Most likely no — our default expectation is for participants to join us in person. Nonetheless, we are committed to forming the best cohort possible and, in some cases, do allow fellows to participate remotely. Should you receive an offer from us, we are willing to discuss the possibility of remote involvement.

  • Our programme is designed with the intent of forming a cohesive cohort and we strive to adhere to established timelines. However, we are open to making accommodations for outstanding candidates under special circumstances.

  • Fellows receive a stipend of £5,250 for the duration of the programme. In select cases, we may offer short-term extensions to some participants, allowing them to continue their research. These extensions, when granted, may include additional financial support.

  • Yes, we will sponsor your visa and support international participants in their visa application process.

    Please note that your passport must be valid until at least May 2026, and it must have at least one blank visa page for the visa vignette.