Research Lead

FAR.AI • Berkeley, CA

1d • $290,000 - $450,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

FAR.AI is seeking a Research Lead to develop and lead a research agenda focused on reducing catastrophic risks from advanced AI. The role involves building and leading a team, setting research direction, mentoring staff, and remaining hands-on with coding and experiments. Success is measured by actual changes in AI labs and governments, not just publications. The Research Lead will also influence FAR.AI's broader work through grantmaking, convening stakeholders, and advising AI companies and governments. This position offers high autonomy in an impact-driven environment for those pursuing empirically grounded, scalable ML safety work.

Requirements

• A strong existing research track record in AI or another highly technical subject (e.g., CS, math, physics).
• A clear view of which safety research directions are likely to matter most over the next few years, and why.
• Either (a) a clear research agenda you'd pursue at FAR.AI, with a theory of change explaining why it's valuable, or (b) a strong track record and a research space you'd sharpen into an agenda over your first months.
• Experience leading a team, mentoring graduate students, or supporting early-career researchers through fellowship programs. Informal leadership in flatter organizations counts.
• Ability to effectively communicate novel methods and solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Substantive engagement with the field of AI safety through prior research, employment, or sustained independent contribution.

Nice To Haves

• An established publication record in AI safety.
• Comfortable writing grant proposals and navigating collaborations with other organizations or external research groups.

Responsibilities

• Articulate a research agenda with a clear theory of change for mitigating catastrophic risks from human-level or superhuman AI systems, and/or vastly increasing the upside of such systems.
• Grow and lead a team of technical staff in pursuit of this agenda, either directly or in partnership with an engineering co-lead.
• Lead novel research projects where there may be unclear markers of progress or success.
• Share research findings through written content (e.g., academic publications, blog posts) and presentations (e.g., ML conferences, policymaker briefings) to drive adoption and change.
• Mentor and coach junior team members in research skills and ML engineering.
• Contribute to the FAR.AI intellectual environment, for example by giving feedback on early-stage proposals.
• Build a research field around your agenda through FAR.AI's grantmaking and events, and connect it to real-world deployments through our independent testing and government advising.

Benefits

• Health Insurance - 94% of Insurance premium paid by Organization commencing within 1 month after your start date
• Retirement - 401(k) plan with up to 2% match
• PTO - 25 days Paid Time Off per year, accrued weekly and up to 10 days of paid sick leave per year
• Paid Leave - Paid Bereavement, Family, Medical and Pregnancy Disability Leave
• WFH Stipend & Equipment - Work computer and stipend provided for eligible employees
• Catered Meals (Berkeley Office Only) - Catered lunches and dinners on workdays at our office

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed