AI Alignment Fellow

About the role#

The AI Alignment Fellow will conduct original mathematical and computational research at the intersection of algorithmic fairness, civil rights law, and AI governance. Working within the Responsible AI Lab, the Fellow will investigate the theoretical tension between individual and group fairness in automated decision-making systems. This role involves using AI-assisted research tools to derive formal proofs and translating technical findings into policy recommendations for civil rights practitioners and regulators. This is a full-time, 8-week fellowship reporting to the Chief AI Officer.

What you'll do#

• Collaborate with NFHA program staff, legal counsel, and external civil rights partners to identify high-priority algorithmic fairness problems in housing and lending.
• Engage with peer researchers, policy advocates, and regulatory bodies to represent the Responsible AI Lab’s research agenda.
• Employ AI-assisted research environments, including large language models and automated proof assistants, to investigate fairness mechanisms and verify formal proofs.
• Conduct comparative policy analysis across domestic and international AI governance frameworks.
• Co-author a peer-reviewed paper and produce accessible summaries, technical reports, and policy briefs.

What you'll need#

• Doctoral degree in progress or conferred in Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Operations Research, or a closely related quantitative discipline.
• Demonstrated familiarity with algorithmic fairness literature, including group fairness criteria and individual fairness formulations.
• Evidence of research productivity appropriate to career stage, such as publications or technical reports.
• Proficiency in formal mathematical reasoning and proof construction, including measure theory, probability theory, and optimization.
• Practical experience with AI-assisted research tools.

Location & details#

• Location: Washington, DC.
• Modality: Hybrid (expected to work in the DC office two days per week).
• Status: Full-time, paid fellowship.
• Term: Rolling.