The Iliad Fellowship

Iliad, in collaboration with PrincInt, is running a research fellowship in applied mathematics for AI alignment. 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 or by securing philanthropic funding to support other research projects.

  • 3 months, full-time

    Fall 2026: September 7 - December 4, 2026 (inclusive)

  • July 27 EoD AoE (Fall)

  • $6,000 (USD) / month

  • The London Initiative for Safe AI (LISA), London, in person

Apply now to have higher chances of being selected for Fall 2026

Apply now

The Fellowship

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.

Duration: 3 months, full-time, September 7–December 4, 2026
Location: The London Initiative for Safe AI (LISA), London, in person (with some remote flexibility for exceptional applicants, for compatibility with existing academic roles)
Travel-and-Housing Allowance: $6,000 (USD) monthly travel-and-housing allowance

The Fellowship will include speaker events and, during its first month, will integrate with the September 2026 Iliad Intensive.

What You’ll Be Doing

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.

Fellowship FAQ

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

Register

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • No, but it is recommended in most cases.

  • 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.

  • Check out our events calendar for more information, but primarily London.

  • 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.

  • 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. 

About You

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

Apply here for the Fall 2026 Iliad Fellowship.
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.