SPAR Research Program for AI Risks

SPAR Research Program for AI Risks is sponsored by SPAR (Supervised Program for Alignment Research). A part-time, remote research fellowship that connects rising talent with experts in AI safety and policy through structured mentorship and impactful research projects.

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expired" x-transition:enter="transition ease-out duration-300" x-transition:enter-start="transform -translate-y-full opacity-0" x-transition:enter-end="transform translate-y-0 opacity-100" x-transition:leave="transition ease-in duration-200" x-transition:leave-start="transform translate-y-0 opacity-100" x-transition:leave-end="transform -translate-y-full opacity-0" class="relative bg-gradient-to-r from-purple-600 via-purple-500 to-purple-600 text-white"> Fall 2026 mentee applications are open!

Apply to research projects by August 18. Apply now = new Date(Date. UTC(2026, 7, 19, 12, 0, 0)) && new Date(Date.

now()) Some projects are still accepting applications through August 21! View projects Research program for AI risks with expertise to tackle risks from AI We're a part-time, remote research fellowship that enables aspiring AI safety and policy researchers to work on impactful research projects with professionals in the field. Some projects are still accepting applications through August 21.

Meet our 250+ mentors for Fall 2026 A part-time, remote research program pairing aspiring researchers with professionals addressing risks from AI. Mentees gain research experience and guidance; mentors get capable collaborators. Commit 5–40 hours/week , depending on your availability.

SPAR is designed to fit well alongside other commitments. 3 months of structured research , culminating in Demo Day — posters, talks, and a career fair with organizations like METR, Redwood Research, GovAI and MATS. We accept mentees with relevant technical or policy from undergraduate students to mid-career professionals.

SPAR research has been accepted at ICML and NeurIPS, covered by TIME, and led to full-time job offers for mentees. Check out some of our work: PersistBench: When Should Long-Term Memories Be Forgotten by LLMs?

Sidharth Pulipaka, Oliver Chen, Manas Sharma, Taaha Saleem Bajwa, Vyas Raina, Ivaxi Sheth Sidharth Pulipaka, Oliver Chen, Manas Sharma, Taaha Saleem Bajwa, Vyas Raina, Ivaxi Sheth Transformers Don't Need LayerNorm at Inference Time: Scaling LayerNorm Removal to GPT-2 XL and the Implications for Mechanistic Interpretability Luca Baroni, Galvin Khara, Joachim Schaeffer, Marat Subkhankulov, Stefan Heimersheim Luca Baroni, Galvin Khara, Joachim Schaeffer, Marat Subkhankulov, Stefan Heimersheim ICLR 2026 Interpretability Lead, Own, Share: Sovereign Wealth Funds for Transformative AI Liam Epstein (advised by Deric Cheng, Justin Bullock, Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh) Deric Cheng, Justin Bullock, Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh Deric Cheng, Justin Bullock RouterInterp: Understanding Superposed Specialisation in Mixture of Experts Routing Ilya Lasy, Nora Yinuo Cai, Kola Ayonrinde Ilya Lasy, Nora Yinuo Cai, Kola Ayonrinde ICML 2026 Interpretability Zheng Hui, Doni Bloomfield, Noam Kolt Zheng Hui, Doni Bloomfield, Noam Kolt ICML 2026 (Spotlight) Alignment A Positive Case for Faithfulness: LLM Self-Explanations Help Predict Model Behavior Harry Mayne, Justin Singh Kang, Dewi Gould, Kannan Ramchandran, Adam Mahdi, Noah Y.

Siegel Harry Mayne, Justin Singh Kang, Dewi Gould, Kannan Ramchandran, Adam Mahdi, Noah Y. Siegel ICML 2026 Chain of Thought Evaluating LLM Agent Collusion in Double Auctions Kushal Agrawal, Verona Teo, Juan J. Vazquez, Sudarsh Kunnavakkam, Vishak Srikanth, Andy Liu Kushal Agrawal, Verona Teo, Juan J.

Vazquez, Sudarsh Kunnavakkam, Vishak Srikanth, Andy Liu ICML MAS 2025 Multi-Agent Safety What research does SPAR support?

SPAR supports a broad range of research that we think is helpful for helping society mitigate the risks posed by advanced AI, including Ensuring powerful AI systems follow human intentions Governing the development of transformative AI Hardware-enabled governance and preventing the theft of model weights Reverse-engineering neural networks and their internal representations Preventing or preparing for AI-enabled bioattacks Understanding the effect of transformative AI on society and the economy Build the skills to break into technical AI safety, AI policy or biosecurity research and learn whether this path is right for you.

SPAR and your mentor provide structured support to help you start your journey. Get advice and support from experienced researchers to support your development of key scientific skills. Most projects in SPAR result in papers.

Our demo day gives you the opportunity to present your research in front of researchers from organizations like METR, Redwood Research, GovAI and MATS. Join a research team of peers with shared interests who support each other's growth. Virtual coffee chats and in-person meetups provide additional opportunities to connect.

Conduct real, cutting-edge research to help the world answer the most pressing questions of our time. Most projects lead to published papers or preprints with mentee co-authors. Last year we awarded $7,000 total at our Demo Day, which rewards the best posters and talks for projects in the program.

What's it like to be a SPAR mentee? From application to publication, here's what you can expect. Explore available projects and apply to work on ones you're excited about.

Spend 5-40 hours/week on real catastrophic risk research with your team. Receive structured support and regular feedback. Present your research at our virtual mini-conference attended by leading AI safety organizations.

The best posters and lightning talks will be eligible for prizes! Many mentorship pairs continue working together after the program ends, leading to publications and career opportunities. I think SPAR is the best place for anyone to get involved and just get started with research.

Kushal, Information Safety [My mentor] was extremely willing to share his connections and was involved in the trenches with us from the beginning. He provided some thought-provoking insights and guidance and opened himself up for 1:1s, even as he started a new key role... It was a pleasure to work with [my mentor] and I hope it won't be the last time.

Noah, Overview of Systemic Economic Risks from TAI Systems Thank you for such a fantastic opportunity! During the program I was offered an AI Safety role at Google and recently started right as SPAR ended. I felt like the program gave me great experience and helped strengthen my passion which no doubt helped with getting the job.

Greta, Near Zero-knowledge Detection of Undesired Behavior It's exactly the "foot in the door" one needs when transitioning into research positions.

Harry, Using RL to train shutdownable agents The program is open to undergraduate, graduate/PhD students, and professionals of different experience Mentors often look for a technical background (e.g., ML, CS, cybersecurity, math, biology, physics, etc.) or knowledge relevant to policy and governance (e.g., law, international relations, public policy, political science, economics, etc.).

Some projects may require additional background knowledge, like knowledge of specific research areas, techniques, or tools (e.g. ML frameworks). We don't require previous research experience, and Even if you do not entirely meet these criteria, we encourage you to apply! Many past mentees have been accepted even though they didn't completely match a What is the program timeline?

The Fall 2026 round follows this timeline: June 26 - July 26 : Mentor application period (extended) July 27 : Mentor decisions released July 28 - August 18 : Mentee application period September 7 : Mentee application decisions released September 14 - December 14 : Research period After December 14 : Optional continuation Does SPAR include AI policy and biosecurity projects? Yes!

In recent rounds, nearly 30% of our projects have been in AI policy, and we've offered biosecurity projects since Spring 2026. Can I apply to multiple projects? Yes, you can apply to as many as you'd like!

However, it's rare to be matched with more than one as a participant. You don't have to decide everything upfront, either. Until applications close, you can edit your submitted application and add more project applications at any time.

Can I edit my application after submitting? Yes. Your confirmation email includes a personal edit link that works until applications close.

You can update your answers, replace your resume, and add or remove project applications. If you can't find the link, you can request a new one on the application edit page . How do I know my application went through?

You'll receive a confirmation email summarizing your answers for each application you submit. If you don't see it after a few minutes, check your spam folder before writing in. Can I use AI to help write my application?

No. Every free-response answer must be written by you, without AI writing, rewriting, or polishing (including Grammarly-style tools and AI translation). Your answers are how mentors understand how you think, and we can and will reject applicants for AI-written answers. You're not graded on prose, so short, rough answers in imperfect English are completely fine.

You can still use AI to figure out which projects to apply to, or for high-level feedback on your application. There is one exception. If a disability makes it impossible or impractical to type your answers yourself and you write with assistive technology (for example, dictating and using AI to clean up the transcript), write to us at spar@kairos-project.

org and we'll exempt you from this policy. Please also mention it in the “Anything else? ” question of your application so our reviewers have the context.

The exemption covers getting your words into text, and the ideas in your answers must still be entirely your own. What if I miss the application deadline? Applications close at the end of the date shown in the timeline above, Anywhere on Earth.

In practice that means you have until noon UTC the following day, so nobody is cut off early by their time zone. We can't grant individual extensions, and we only accept late applications for a few days afterward in exceptional circumstances. If you miss this round, the next one starts about six months later.

Right now, some projects are still accepting applications through Friday, August 21 (end of day, Anywhere on Earth). They're marked "Still accepting apps" in the project gallery , and you can apply to them normally until then. Is there an age or education requirement?

Almost none. SPAR is open to anyone 13 or older, including high school students, and there's no degree requirement. Mentors select whoever can contribute best to their project, so relevant skills and motivation matter much more than your stage of education.

Do be aware that the program is highly competitive, and earlier-career applicants are weighed against people with significantly more experience. If you're under 18, please let us know in the “Anything else? ” question of your application.

We may need a parent or legal guardian to sign a consent form before you can participate. Can I take part from anywhere in the world? Yes.

SPAR is fully virtual and our mentees join from all over the world. There's no country or residency requirement. The one caveat is that, as a US organization, we're required to comply with US sanctions laws, which may affect our ability to accept participants from certain sanctioned countries or regions.

If you live in a country under comprehensive sanctions, or you're affected by narrower sanctions in some other way (the US Treasury keeps a list of active sanctions programs ), please write to us at spar@kairos-project. org (we're happy to confirm your eligibility before you apply), or flag it in the “Anything else? ” question of your application.

Flagging it won't count against you in selection. We run sanctions screening on all participants during project matching anyway, so telling us early just means we can sort out your eligibility before you and a mentor invest in a match. If you know about a sanctions issue and don't tell us, we may have to withdraw you mid-program, which is far worse for everyone than sorting it out up front.

The other thing to check is time zones. Some projects ask for a weekly meeting in a particular window, and any such preference is listed on the project page. Can I propose my own project idea?

Mentees apply to projects that mentors have already proposed, so you don't submit your own project as a mentee. You can still bring your idea, though. Apply to the projects closest to it and make the case in your application, and raise it with the mentor if they get in touch.

Project scopes are often flexible, and mentors regularly shape the work around what their mentees are excited about. If you want to run your own project outright, that's the mentor side of SPAR. Mentor applications open a few weeks before mentee applications, around December for the spring round and around July for the fall round.

Is participation in SPAR compensated? We cover approved project expenses, including compute and access to APIs and LLMs, but do not personally compensate mentors or mentees. We may explore doing so in the future.

SPAR is a volunteer research program. Participants don't receive wages, salary, or other compensation, and taking part doesn't create an employment relationship with Kairos or with your mentor. If you're studying in the US on a visa (F-1, J-1, or similar), we recommend checking with your international student office before committing.

If it helps, we can provide a letter confirming that SPAR is an unpaid volunteer program. Just write to us at spar@kairos-project. org .

What does SPAR expect of accepted applicants? We expect accepted mentees to commit the hours they agreed to (typically 5-20 hours per week), attend regular meetings with their mentor and team, complete assigned research tasks, and present their work at the end-of-program Demo Day. We also expect professional communication and collaboration throughout the program.

How does the application and project matching process work? Apply to as many projects as you're excited about. Mentors will review your application and may ask you to interview, complete a short assessment or trial task, or provide references (though not every project does this, so don't panic if you don't get an invite!)

Then mentors will submit a ranked shortlist of project applicants, and you'll submit a ranked list of projects you've applied to. We'll run an algorithm that matches mentees with projects based on both mentor and mentee preferences, as well as other factors like ensuring no one gets assigned more hours of work than they're available for.

Please note that this means that if you're shortlisted for multiple projects, you won't get to choose between them, though you are more likely to be assigned to the ones you're more excited about. Will I be asked to provide references? Possibly.

After applications close, some applicants will be asked to provide one or two references (people who can speak to your work or research, like a professor, manager, or collaborator) as part of the selection process. Only a subset of applicants will get a request, and not receiving one doesn't mean your application was rejected. Referees can take several days to agree and respond, so it's worth thinking ahead about who you'd ask.

You don't need to contact anyone before you receive a request. When will I hear back about my application? Mentee applicants should expect to hear back on September 7 regarding their applications.

Decisions arrive by email. If you haven't seen anything by the following morning, check your spam folder, then write to us at spar@kairos-project. org .

Mentors may also reach out earlier to schedule interviews, ask clarifying questions, or request that you complete assessments or provide references as part of the selection process. Anything a mentor asks you to complete is due by Sunday, August 30 (end of day, Anywhere on Earth) at the latest, and each request states its own deadline. When is the next round?

Is there a summer round? SPAR runs twice a year. The spring round opens applications around December and the fall round around July.

There's currently no summer round. The best way to hear when applications open is the newsletter at the bottom of this page. There are lots of AI safety research mentorship programs!

Is SPAR my best fit? SPAR is primarily designed for people trying to fit research mentorship around school or work. It's part-time and virtual, so you can participate anytime, from anywhere.

We also accept mentees with a wide range of experience levels, so we're a good fit for applicants who aren't quite ready for a program like MATS , but might be after completing SPAR! Many people participate in multiple AI safety upskilling programs over time. 80,000 Hours maintains a list of these programs here .

If you're interested in SPAR, you may be especially interested in the following (note this list may be out of date): Technical safety mentorship: