What are the responsibilities and job description for the AI Institute Fellow in Residence position at Schmidt Sciences?
Summary
Schmidt Sciences invites recent PhD graduates in AI and computer science to apply for a 12-18 month fellows-in-residence program. Reporting to the Director of the AI Institute at Schmidt Sciences, fellows would split their time between supporting the AI Institute (e.g., by exploring new grantmaking programs) and pursuing specific research projects aligned with the Institute’s priorities. Up to four fellows will be hired in 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
For this cohort, we are most interested in hiring experts in the following domains:
Schmidt Sciences is a nonprofit organization founded in 2024 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt that works to accelerate scientific knowledge and breakthroughs with the most promising, advanced tools to support a thriving planet. The organization prioritizes research in areas poised for impact including AI and advanced computing, astrophysics, biosciences, climate, and space—as well as supporting researchers in a variety of disciplines through its science systems program.
The AI & Advanced Computing Institute at Schmidt Sciences supports fundamental research in artificial intelligence (AI), the application of AI and data science across a wide variety of disciplines, and the creation of high-impact research platforms that can speed discovery.
About The Fellows-in-Residence Program
The goal of this fellowship is to allow early career AI researchers a flexible environment in which to pursue specific research projects while contributing to the building of the AI Institute at Schmidt Sciences. Fellows would split their time, roughly equally, between project focused work and work for the AI Institute as directed.
Fellows would propose specific projects as part of their application for the fellowship. We would agree on these projects before fellows arrive. Fellows must be able to complete their projects during their fellowship. Projects must align with AI Institute goals and research directions.
Resources And Opportunities
Each fellow will have access to several valuable opportunities over the course of their fellowship:
Each fellowship will be 12-18 months long, with flexibility around start and end dates to accommodate academic commitments and other needs.
Location:
Fellows will be based at our offices in New York City. Fellows will be permitted to spend a portion of their time at a local university.
Reporting
Fellows would report to the Director of the AI Institute at Schmidt Sciences. Each fellow would receive a mentor, who would be an AI Institute team member, and who would assist their onboarding to the organization.
Other Appointments
Fellows will be permitted to keep their existing academic appointments, as long as they do not conflict with either institution’s policies (e.g., conflict of interest policies).
Selection Criteria
Fellows will be invited to interview with Schmidt Sciences on the basis of their academic accomplishments and publications, the relevance of their academic research to the AI Institute’s priorities, and the relevance and quality of their proposed research projects. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Examples Of Potential Projects Include
This is an exempt position.
Schmidt Sciences invites recent PhD graduates in AI and computer science to apply for a 12-18 month fellows-in-residence program. Reporting to the Director of the AI Institute at Schmidt Sciences, fellows would split their time between supporting the AI Institute (e.g., by exploring new grantmaking programs) and pursuing specific research projects aligned with the Institute’s priorities. Up to four fellows will be hired in 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
For this cohort, we are most interested in hiring experts in the following domains:
- AI agent inter-operability and emerging communication in multi-agent systems
- AI for scientific discovery
- Hardware-enabled verification of AI agreements
- AI’s impact on the labor market
- Note: AI Institute priorities will evolve with the Institute's growth and the rapid evolution of AI, so the Institute might have different priorities in future years.
Schmidt Sciences is a nonprofit organization founded in 2024 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt that works to accelerate scientific knowledge and breakthroughs with the most promising, advanced tools to support a thriving planet. The organization prioritizes research in areas poised for impact including AI and advanced computing, astrophysics, biosciences, climate, and space—as well as supporting researchers in a variety of disciplines through its science systems program.
The AI & Advanced Computing Institute at Schmidt Sciences supports fundamental research in artificial intelligence (AI), the application of AI and data science across a wide variety of disciplines, and the creation of high-impact research platforms that can speed discovery.
About The Fellows-in-Residence Program
The goal of this fellowship is to allow early career AI researchers a flexible environment in which to pursue specific research projects while contributing to the building of the AI Institute at Schmidt Sciences. Fellows would split their time, roughly equally, between project focused work and work for the AI Institute as directed.
Fellows would propose specific projects as part of their application for the fellowship. We would agree on these projects before fellows arrive. Fellows must be able to complete their projects during their fellowship. Projects must align with AI Institute goals and research directions.
Resources And Opportunities
Each fellow will have access to several valuable opportunities over the course of their fellowship:
- Opportunity to apply for up to $50,000 of compute credits and API credits over the course of the fellowship.
- Opportunity to apply for up to $50,000 in funding for targeted convenings, workshops, working sessions, etc. to advance exploration in various AI research areas.
- Opportunity to apply for travel funds to collaborate with others on research projects.
- Access to Schmidt Science’s network of stakeholders in the AI ecosystem.
Each fellowship will be 12-18 months long, with flexibility around start and end dates to accommodate academic commitments and other needs.
Location:
Fellows will be based at our offices in New York City. Fellows will be permitted to spend a portion of their time at a local university.
Reporting
Fellows would report to the Director of the AI Institute at Schmidt Sciences. Each fellow would receive a mentor, who would be an AI Institute team member, and who would assist their onboarding to the organization.
Other Appointments
Fellows will be permitted to keep their existing academic appointments, as long as they do not conflict with either institution’s policies (e.g., conflict of interest policies).
Selection Criteria
Fellows will be invited to interview with Schmidt Sciences on the basis of their academic accomplishments and publications, the relevance of their academic research to the AI Institute’s priorities, and the relevance and quality of their proposed research projects. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Examples Of Potential Projects Include
- Scoping out a grantmaking program in a particular AI domain of interest to Schmidt Sciences and the fellow. If mutually agreeable to Schmidt Sciences and the fellows, this could move beyond scoping to launching the program. In areas where Schmidt Sciences has agreed to invest before the fellow arrives, that fellow could come to help launch the program and potentially recommend initial grants.
- Conducting research into a specific AI domain of mutual interest, with the intent of writing and releasing a technical paper.
- Organizing a series of workshops on a topic of mutual interest to build the research community in that topic. This could also be a series of smaller grants (that they advise on; we’d retain decision rights).
- Starting or contributing to an important AI open source project.
- Reading and assessing research proposals in multiple areas of AI, including safety, AI and science, AI and economics, etc.
- Supporting the exploration and design of new AI grantmaking programs, such as in the areas of interpretability, safety, and scientific discovery
- Attending gatherings we organize for our grantees, as well as representing Schmidt Sciences at external conferences
This is an exempt position.
Salary : $150,000