Announcing the OpenAI Safety Fellowship

OpenAI Blog Events

Summary

OpenAI announces a new Safety Fellowship program for external researchers to conduct rigorous safety and alignment research on advanced AI systems, running September 2026 through February 2027. The program offers mentorship, compute support, stipends, and workspace at Constellation in Berkeley, with applications open until May 3.

A pilot program to support independent safety and alignment research and develop the next generation of talent
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# Introducing the OpenAI Safety Fellowship Source: [https://openai.com/index/introducing-openai-safety-fellowship/](https://openai.com/index/introducing-openai-safety-fellowship/) OpenAIA pilot program to support independent safety and alignment research and develop the next generation of talent Today we are announcing a call for applications to the OpenAI Safety Fellowship, a new program for external researchers, engineers, and practitioners to pursue rigorous, high\-impact research on the safety and alignment of advanced AI systems\. The program will run from September 14, 2026 through February 5, 2027\. We are looking for applicants interested in safety questions that matter for existing and future systems\. Priority areas include safety evaluation, ethics, robustness, scalable mitigations, privacy\-preserving safety methods, agentic oversight, and high\-severity misuse domains, among others\. We are especially interested in work that is empirically grounded, technically strong, and relevant to the broader research community\. Fellows will work closely with OpenAI mentors and engage with a cohort of peers\. Workspace will be available in Berkeley alongside other fellows at[Constellation⁠\(opens in a new window\)](https://constellation.org/), though fellows may also work remotely\. Fellows are expected to produce a substantial research output by the end of the program, such as a paper, benchmark, or dataset\. The fellowship includes a monthly stipend, compute support, and ongoing mentorship\. We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds, including computer science, social science, cybersecurity, privacy, HCI, and related fields\. We prioritize research ability, technical judgment, and execution over specific credentials\. Reference contacts will be required\. For additional information regarding eligibility, compensation and benefits, see the[application form⁠\(opens in a new window\)](https://bit.ly/c-openai-safety-fellowship)\. Fellows will receive API credits and other resources as appropriate, but will not have internal system access\. Applications are now open[here⁠\(opens in a new window\)](https://bit.ly/c-openai-safety-fellowship)and will close May 3\. We will review all submissions and notify successful applicants by July 25\. For any questions about the application process, please contact[openaifellows@constellation\.org⁠](mailto:[email protected])\.

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