Supervised Program for Alignment Research

About the role

You own a defined research pathway from intake to shipping outcomes. You design study components, coordinate with mentors, and prepare work for Demo Day presentation.

Key facts

What you'll do

Mapping inquiry questions into scoped research plans before building evidence.

Conducting structured research cycles with mentor feedback every two weeks.

Drafting manuscripts and replication packages for peer review.

Preparing concise demos and career narratives for hiring partners.

Coordinating with METR, Redwood Research, GovAI, and MATS for visibility.

Hosting virtual roundtables that translate findings into policy options.

Running agentic evaluations of copyright compliance in model behavior.

Exploring when long term memories should be pruned by language models.

Requirements

You hold relevant technical or policy background at any level, undergraduate to mid career.

You commit 5-40 hours weekly for three months, aligning with other roles.

You work remotely while participating in a cohort based learning cohort.

Nice to have

No preferences stated.

Skills & tools

Only names that appear in SOURCE: ICML, NeurIPS, TIME, METR, Redwood Research, GovAI, MATS.

Practical notes

Hours are part time and remote; travel is not required.

Visa support is not mentioned.

Application timeline

Mentee applications open for Fall 2026. Submit your application by August 18.

What SPAR is

SPAR is a part-time, remote research program pairing aspiring researchers with professionals to address risks from AI. Mentees gain research experience and guidance; mentors get capable collaborators. Sessions run for 3 months, culminating in Demo Day with posters, talks, and a career fair. We accept mentees with backgrounds spanning undergraduate study to mid career professional roles.

Selected research

SPAR research has been accepted at ICML and NeurIPS, covered by TIME, and led to full-time job offers. Example work includes PersistBench on when long term memories should be forgotten by language models. Other projects study alignment, interpretability, and AI governance.

Why apply

Research experience helps build skills for technical AI safety, AI policy, or biosecurity. SPAR and your mentor provide structured support to start your research journey. Most projects lead to papers or preprints with mentee co-authors. The Demo Day connects you with organizations such as METR, Redwood Research, GovAI, and MATS.

Community and impact

Join a research team of peers with shared interests. Virtual coffee chats and in person meetups provide additional networking. Most projects support cutting edge research to help society manage advanced AI risks. Prizes totaling $7,000 at Demo Day recognize the best posters and talks.

From application to publication, this is what you can expect.

STEP 01 Browse Projects. Explore available projects and apply to work on ones you are excited about.

STEP 02 Conduct Research. Spend 5 to 40 hours per week on real catastrophic risk research with your team. Receive structured support and regular feedback.

STEP 03 Present at Demo Day. Present your research at a virtual mini conference attended by leading AI safety organizations.

STEP 04 Continue and Collaborate. Many mentorship pairs continue working together after the program, leading to publications and career opportunities.

Eligibility

The program is open to undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students, as well as professionals of different experience levels. Backgrounds in fields such as machine learning, computer science, cybersecurity, mathematics, biology, or physics are relevant for technical tracks. Policy and governance tracks welcome knowledge in law, international relations, public policy, political science, economics, or related areas. Some projects may require additional background in specific research areas, techniques, or tools. No previous research experience is required, and many mentees have none.

Frequently asked questions

What is the program timeline for Fall 2026? Mentor applications open in June for an extended period through late July. Mentor decisions release around July