AI Policy Research Resident

RAND•Pittsburgh, DC

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

RAND’s Center on AI, Security, and Technology (CAST) is seeking AI Policy Research Residents at the Associate, Specialist, and Expert levels. This role involves significant contributions to cutting-edge research projects on frontier AI policy, including conducting analysis, drafting written products, and managing key project components. CAST is a large center focused on transformative AI and biotechnology policy and their global implications for competition and security. Their work includes developing verification frameworks for AI agreements, creating secure AI data centers, addressing energy needs for AI production, modeling public-private partnerships, and evaluating AIxBio.

Requirements

Excellent analytic skills.
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.
Ability to work effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.
Strong commitment to RAND's core values of quality and objectivity.
Demonstrated familiarity with AI capability trajectories, potentially transformative effects and catastrophic risks of these technologies (AI landscape context).
Demonstrated understanding of a wide range of policy and governance approaches to promote beneficial AI, mitigate associated risks, and promote US and allied leadership (AI policy understanding).
Strong analytical and writing skills: ability to structure analysis clearly, synthesize evidence from diverse sources, and produce concise, well-argued written products for decisionmakers.
Ability to navigate tensions between competing priorities – safety, innovation, competitiveness, feasibility – and contribute to implementable options that account for real-world constraints (Policy pragmatism).
Thrives in fast-moving and ambiguous environments, able to deliver quality work on short timelines and with limited supervision (Mission-driven and adaptable).

Nice To Haves

Published research, analysis, or commentary on AI or emerging technology policy (Policy-relevant research or writing).
Familiarity with U.S. government policymaking processes or experience engaging policy audiences on technology or national security issues (U.S. government context).
Familiarity with how AI systems are built, deployed, and secured – including training methodologies, evaluation practices, and technical governance approaches (AI technical acumen).
Quantitative or legal analytical skills that complement the team's existing capabilities.

Responsibilities

Own significant research workstreams and produce deliverables for senior policy audiences.
Manage key research deliverables, including research design and methods, technical policy analysis, framework development, literature reviews, and stakeholder interviews.
Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams within CAST and RAND.
Contribute to rapid-response analysis on short timelines.
Draft policy briefs, research memos, report content, and other written products for technical and senior policy audiences.
Present policy briefs and reports to technical and non-technical audiences.
Monitor and assess U.S. and international AI policy, legal, and governance developments relevant to national and global security.
Help shape CAST’s research agenda by identifying emerging policy questions, contributing to project scoping and design, and supporting client engagement.