Iliad Fellowships in Applied Mathematics for AI Safety – Fall 2026

Iliad Fellowships in Applied Mathematics for AI Safety – Fall 2026 is sponsored by Iliad (managed by Lightcone Infrastructure). This fellowship supports individuals passionate about mathematics and building safer AI systems, focusing on theory-driven research on ReLU networks and projects that raise the epistemic bar of AI safety. Mathematicians are especially welcome, regardless of prior AI experience.

Iliad Fellowship: Applied Mathematics for AI Alignment — ILIAD Iliad runs a research fellowship in applied mathematics for AI safety. Competitive candidates are PhD or postdoctoral (or equally experienced) researchers in math, physics, or a related field. Our target outcome is for Iliad Fellows to continue research after the Fellowship in a research position.

Fall 2026: September 7 - December 4, 2026 (inclusive) August 31, 2026 for the October cohort, September 21, 2026 for the November cohort, and October 19, 2026 for the December cohort Travel-and-Housing Allowance Choice of SF Bay Area, USA, or London, UK (in-person) Fall 2026 Iliad Fellowships Iliad is running three iterations of the Fellowship this fall.

Iliad Fellows will explore mathematical approaches to AI alignment, in collaboration with established mentors with proven track records of connecting deep mathematics with empirical machine learning.

October 2026 Iliad Fellowship Duration : 3-months, full-time, October 5th - December 18th, 2026 Location: London or Bay Area Travel-and-Housing Allowance : $6,000 (USD) monthly travel-and-housing allowance November 2026 Iliad Fellowship Duration : 3-months, full-time, November 2nd - February 5th, 2027 Location: London or Bay Area Travel-and-Housing Allowance : $6,000 (USD) monthly travel-and-housing allowance December 2026 Iliad Fellowship Duration : 3-months, full-time, December 1st - March 5th, 2027 Location: London or Bay Area Travel-and-Housing Allowance : $6,000 (USD) monthly travel-and-housing allowance Iliad Fellows will, by default, spend 3 months in person in London at LISA working on AI alignment, in collaboration with mentors.

Project mentors are established researchers in mathematics and AI alignment. Individual projects will differ in scope and content, depending on the Fellow’s research background; projects will begin lines of research in mathematical AI alignment. The intended end product of the Fellowship is a fleshed-out research proposal.

You will spend 3 months doing mathematical research that builds on your existing research background, with the support of a project mentor. You will work inside of or develop a new direction of applied-mathematical AI alignment research in order to assemble the research proposal deliverable.

At the end of the Fellowship, Iliad will help Fellows submit proposals to outside funders to spin up new research groups or to support other research projects (at PIBBSS, in academia, or independent). The funding ecosystem for technical academic researchers pivoting into AI alignment is vast. AI alignment is a ballooning field of research that is just crystallizing its earliest general theoretical results.

Academics are extremely well positioned to contribute to this crystallization of the formal machinery; funders recognize this, and Iliad aims to facilitate that connection between academics branching into AI alignment and philanthropic donors (including state actors) supporting that research work.

We are here to help you get a grip on this ecosystem, in the belief that great researchers with high academic standards are a crucial input in growing AI alignment into a fully developed scientific field.

We will guide Fellows in developing research proposals for submission to organizations such as Coefficient Giving , the Survival and Flourishing Fund , Schmidt Sciences , and the UK AI Security Institute (AISI) ; we aim to secure independent funding for projects for an additional 6–24 months. Alternatively, we will guide Fellows into venturing out into the job market in AI alignment research, steering them towards strong fits.

Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime. If you’re feeling ready, go ahead and apply.

What is the Iliad Fellowship? The Iliad Fellowship is a mentored research fellowship. Fellows conduct technical AI alignment research over the course of the Fellowship, delivering concrete research outputs by the end of the program.

It runs for 3 months and pays a travel-and-housing allowance of $6,000 (USD) / month. How is the Iliad Fellowship different from the Iliad Intensive? The Iliad Intensive is a four-week, full-time taught course in foundational AI alignment.

The Fellowship is a mentored research fellowship : rather than coursework, you conduct research. They’re just different programs. Many Iliad Fellows come into the Fellowship by excelling in the Iliad Intensive first, to build their foundational understanding.

Do I need to have done the Iliad Intensive to apply for the Iliad Fellowship? No, but it is recommended in most cases. Who is the Iliad Fellowship for?

The Iliad Fellowship is for strong technical researchers who want to transition into (on continue on in) applied math for AI alignment work. These are most centrally PhD and postdoctoral researchers in mathematics, theoretical physics, theoretical computer science, or closely related fields, though the degree isn't a hard requirement (we encourage anyone with substantial prior research experience to apply).

The Iliad Fellowship centers on individual, mentored research over three months in-person, paired with an established research mentor, and is therefore best suited to people capable of largely self-directed research work who aim to pivot into professional applied mathematical research in AI alignment.

If you're newer to the field and/or looking for a taught introduction rather than mentored research, the Iliad Intensive is the better fit, and a natural entry point into the succeeding Iliad Fellowship. Where and when does it run? Check out our events calendar for more information, but primarily London.

Is there funding for this? Yes, there is a travel-and-housing allowance of $6,000 (USD) /month. Through the single common Iliad application form for all Iliad Intensive and Iliad Fellowship iterations.

What was the "Residency"? The PIBBSS × Iliad Research Residency was a six-week program run jointly with PIBBSS (now Principles of Intelligence). It was the precursor program to both the Iliad Fellowship and the Iliad Intensive, combining coursework and mentored alignment research.

It ran for one iteration, and has now been entirely split up into the separate Iliad Intensive and Iliad Fellowship program. Our competitive applicant is a PhD or postdoctoral researcher in mathematics, theoretical physics, theoretical computer science, or a related discipline, or someone with equivalent research experience.

We welcome applicants with substantially greater research experience as well, and can tailor scope and compensation to suit that background. If you have substantial research experience but are unsure about your fit, we encourage you to err on the side of applying! Apply here for the Fall 2026 Iliad Fellowships.

The Fellowship is most centrally aimed at PhD and postdoctoral researchers. However, we encourage interested individuals with substantial prior research experience in their field of expertise to apply, regardless of credentials. The first stage of the application is designed to be easy to complete.