The Anthropic Institute Fellow - Economics & Policy

Anthropic Fellows Program overview

The Anthropic Fellows Program is designed to foster AI research and engineering talent. We provide funding and mentorship to promising technical talent - regardless of previous experience.

Fellows will primarily use external infrastructure (e.g. open-source models, public APIs) to work on project aligned with our research priorities, with the goal of producing a public output (e.g. a paper submission). In one of our earlier cohorts, over 80% of fellows produced papers. We run multiple cohorts of Fellows each year and review applications on a rolling basis.

Submit your application to the Economics & Policy workstream at the bottom of this page. We are accepting applications on a rolling basis for the next cohort expected to start in January 2027. In some circumstances, we can accommodate fellows starting outside the usual cohort timelines — please note in your application if the January 2027 start date doesn't work for you.

What to expect

• 4 months of full-time research 
• Direct mentorship from Anthropic researchers 
• Weekly stipend of 3,850 USD / 2,310 GBP / 4,300 CAD + benefits (these vary by country)
• Funding for compute (~$15k/month) and other research expenses

Interview process

The interview process will include an initial application & reference check, assessments & interviews, and a research discussion. 

We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification. Not all strong candidates will meet every single qualification as listed. Research shows that people who identify as being from underrepresented groups are more prone to experiencing imposter syndrome and doubting the strength of their candidacy, so we urge you not to exclude yourself prematurely and to submit an application if you're interested in this work. We think AI systems like the ones we're building have enormous social and ethical implications. We think this makes representation even more important, and we strive to include a range of diverse perspectives on our team.

Compensation

The expected base stipend for this role is 3,850 USD / 2,310 GBP / 4,300 CAD per week, with an expectation of 40 hours per week for 4 months (with possible extension).

The Anthropic Institute Fellows (Economics & Policy)

Mentors, research areas, & past projects

Fellows will undergo a project selection & mentor matching process. Potential research areas and mentors include:

• Economics
• Maxim Massenkoff
• Peter McCrory
• Policy, Security, and Society
• Jack Clark
• Marina Favaro
• Jim Baker

Projects in this workstream may include:

• Designing and conducting empirical research on AI's economic effects, drawing on external data sources
• Developing new methodological approaches for studying AI's impact on labor markets, the future of work, and society
• Analysing the offense–defense balance for AI-enabled cyber and bio capabilities as models scale
• Measuring the extent to which model performance increases with custom harnesses
• Identifying market driven mechanisms that could improve societal resilience to anticipated threats from AI systems
• Identifying which metrics relating to AI R&D could serve as early warning signals for recursive self-improvement

For past project examples, see:

• How AI Impacts Skill Formation: Judy Shen and Alex Tamkin
• Stress-Testing Model Specs Reveals Character Differences among Language Models: Jifan Zhang, Henry Sleight, Andi Peng, John Schulman, and Esin Durmus

Unique candidate criteria

You might be a particularly great fit for this workstream if you:

• Have an interest in economics or policy research; prior experience in this area is a plus but not required
• Are adaptable and collaborative, able to take direction and contribute to team priorities rather than needing to pursue a predetermined research agenda
• Are skilled at writing up and communicating your results, even when they're null or unexpected
• Are passionate about translating research insights into actionable recommendations for improving AI systems and informing policy

You may be a good fit if you:

• Are motivated by making sure AI is safe and beneficial for society as a whole
• Are excited to transition into AI research and would be interested in a full-time role at Anthropic
• Strong track record of empirical research
• Thrive in fast-paced, collaborative environments
• Can implement ideas quickly and communicate clearly

Candidates must be:

• Fluent in Python programming
• Available to work full-time on the Fellows program

Logistics - Fellows Program

Submit your application to the Anthropic Institute Fellows at the bottom of this page.

Logistics Requirements: To participate in the Fellows program, you must have work authorization in the US, UK, or Canada and be located in that country during the program.

Workspace Locations: We have designated shared workspaces in SF. We are also open to remote fellows in the UK, US, or Canada. 

Visa Sponsorship: We are not currently able to sponsor visas for fellows. To participate in the Fellows program, you need to have or independently obtain full-time work authorization in the UK, the US, or Canada.

Program Duration: The program runs for 4 months, full-time. If you can't commit to the full duration, please still apply and note your constraints in the application. We review these requests on a case-by-case basis.

The below are Anthropic's policies for full time roles. These do NOT apply to the Fellows Program.