Applications are now open for the GovAI Winter Fellowship 2027 in London, UK. This is a fully funded, three-month fellowship designed to accelerate careers in AI governance and policy. The fellowship will run from 18 January to 9 April 2027, hosted at the GovAI office in London. Fellows will join one of the world’s leading AI governance organisations, work on independent research, receive expert mentorship, and build a powerful professional network, all while being fully supported financially. There is no application fee, and GovAI will sponsor a three-month temporary UK work visa for successful international applicants.
AI governance is a rapidly growing field concerned with setting the rules, principles, and frameworks that guide the responsible development and ethical use of artificial intelligence. As AI systems become more powerful and deeply embedded in society, the work of governing them responsibly has never been more important. The GovAI Winter Fellowship offers a rare opportunity to contribute to this field directly, from one of its most influential research hubs.
Whether you are an early-career researcher, a policy professional, a technologist, or a graduate student with a passion for responsible AI, this fellowship could be the launchpad you are looking for. Read on for everything you need to know about the GovAI Winter Fellowship 2027, including financial benefits, eligibility, selection criteria, and how to apply. For more BS, MS, Phd, Postdoc Positions visit here.
Quick Overview: GovAI Winter Fellowship 2027
- Host Country: United Kingdom
- Location: GovAI Office, London
- Fellowship Duration: 3 Months
- Fellowship Dates: 18 January to 9 April, 2027
- Funding Status: Fully Funded
- Application Deadline: 23:59 BST, Sunday 12 July 2026
- Application Fee: None
- Visa Support: 3-month temporary UK work visa sponsorship available
About GovAI: Who Is Behind This Fellowship?
The Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI) was founded with a clear mission: to help decision-makers navigate the transition to a world with advanced artificial intelligence. GovAI does this through rigorous research and by developing a pipeline of talented people equipped to work on the hardest problems in AI governance.
GovAI researchers have published in some of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world, including Science and Nature. The organisation works closely with governments, industry leaders, and civil society organisations across the globe. Its influence spans continents and sectors, making it one of the most respected institutions in the AI governance space.
The GovAI alumni network is a testament to the quality of the fellowship experience. Past fellows and staff have gone on to take influential roles in government bodies across the US, UK, and EU, at leading AI companies such as Anthropic, DeepMind, and OpenAI, at prominent think tanks like CSET and RAND, and at universities including Oxford and Cambridge. Joining the GovAI fellowship is not just a three-month experience, it is an entry point into one of the most consequential professional networks in technology policy.
GovAI’s team and affiliate community bring expertise across a wide range of disciplines, including risk management, threat modelling, frontier AI regulation, technical governance, agent governance, AI economics, international cooperation, US-China relations, and AI forecasting. Since publishing its first research agenda in 2018, GovAI has helped define and shape the field of AI governance as it exists today.
What Is the GovAI Winter Fellowship?
The GovAI Winter Fellowship is a Seasonal Fellowship, meaning it runs for a fixed three-month period and is structured around a specific cohort of fellows. The fellowship offers a Research Track, in which participants design and execute an independent research project on a topic of their own choosing, with close mentorship from experts in the field.
The fellowship is intended to be a full-time, in-person experience based at the GovAI office in London. This immersive format is central to its value, fellows are embedded in a working research environment, surrounded by practitioners and peers, and supported throughout by the GovAI team.
What Will Fellows Actually Do?
The Research Track is structured to give fellows both freedom and support. Here is how the three months typically unfold:
- In the first two weeks, fellows explore the AI governance landscape, familiarise themselves with ongoing debates and research priorities, and consult with their assigned supervisor to identify the most promising research direction.
- Fellows then settle on a research proposal with input from their supervisors and the Research Managers at GovAI.
- For the remainder of the fellowship, fellows carry out their research project and work toward producing a concrete output. This could take the form of a report, white paper, journal article, opinion editorial, or blog post, whatever format best serves the intended audience.
Throughout the fellowship, GovAI provides structured support to ensure fellows are not working in isolation. This includes weekly seminars focused on building subject-matter knowledge in AI governance, expert Q&A sessions with leading researchers and practitioners, workshops to develop relevant professional skills, work-in-progress meetings that enable peer-to-peer feedback, and social events to build community within the cohort.
Fellows are also encouraged to have conversations with the GovAI team and their wider network about future career opportunities. The fellowship is explicitly designed not just as a research experience but as a career development platform.
Financial Benefits: What Does the Fellowship Cover?
The GovAI Winter Fellowship is fully funded, meaning that accepted fellows do not need to bear the costs of participation. The financial package is generous and thoughtfully designed to remove barriers for applicants from around the world.
- Stipend of £12,000 (British Pounds) for the three-month period
- Travel support to and from London
- Weekday lunches provided at the GovAI London office
- Dedicated desk at the GovAI London office
- 3-month temporary UK work visa sponsorship for international applicants who require it
The £12,000 stipend works out to approximately £4,000 per month, which is competitive for a London-based fellowship, particularly when combined with subsidised meals and other support. Importantly, the visa sponsorship makes this fellowship genuinely accessible to applicants from outside the United Kingdom, which reflects GovAI’s commitment to building a globally diverse field.
Note for visa applicants: if you require a sponsored visa, you will need to remain in your country of visa application while the application is being processed. GovAI advises successful applicants to plan accordingly.
Who Should Apply? Eligibility Criteria
One of the most appealing aspects of the GovAI Winter Fellowship is just how broad its eligibility criteria are. GovAI is not looking for a single type of candidate. Instead, they actively welcome applicants from diverse professional and academic backgrounds, recognising that strong AI governance requires many different forms of expertise.
Open to All Nationalities
The fellowship is open to applicants from every country in the world. GovAI provides visa sponsorship for those who need it, making international participation straightforward.
Professional Background
GovAI welcomes applications from individuals with experience in any of the following sectors:
- Government and public service
- Universities and academic research institutions
- Private companies and industry
- Non-profit organisations and civil society
There are no strict requirements tied to career stage. Early-career individuals, recent graduates, mid-career professionals, and even senior researchers or policy experts are all welcome to apply.
Academic Background
There are no specific degree requirements for this fellowship. GovAI is interested in the quality of your thinking and the relevance of your experience, not the name of your institution or the title of your degree. Relevant areas of academic or professional expertise include, but are by no means limited to:
- Public policy
- Political science
- Computer science
- Economics
- Biosecurity
- Cybersecurity
- China studies
- Risk management, assurance, and auditing
- Law and international relations
- History and philosophy of technology
If your background does not fit neatly into any of these categories, that is not a reason to self-select out. GovAI explicitly encourages applicants whose unique combination of skills and perspectives might bring something new to the field.
Is This Fellowship Right for You?
GovAI notes that the Research Track is an especially good fit for candidates who are interested in contributing to AI governance in roles where producing or engaging with research and policy analysis is a central part of the job. If you are someone who wants to think carefully about hard problems, write clearly about complex issues, and contribute substantively to one of the most important policy questions of our time, this fellowship is worth pursuing.
Selection Criteria: What Is GovAI Looking For?
While eligibility is broad, admission is selective. GovAI evaluates applicants against four key criteria. Understanding these criteria is essential for putting together a strong application.
- Quality of work: GovAI is looking for candidates who can produce clearly written, insightful, and well-balanced research. Strong reasoning ability and concise, clear writing are particularly valued. If you have prior research outputs, policy papers, or writing samples, these will matter.
- Relevant expertise: This does not mean expertise in AI specifically. It means skills or knowledge that are likely to be useful for working on AI governance problems. GovAI recognises that relevant expertise can come in many different forms and from many different fields.
- Judgement: The ability to identify promising research directions, prioritise effectively, and develop good intuitions about what is feasible within a limited timeframe. This is a practical quality that reflects your experience of actually doing research or policy work.
- Team fit: GovAI is looking for people who are open to feedback, intellectually honest, comfortable expressing uncertainty, and genuinely motivated by the mission of contributing to AI governance. Cultural fit matters, and GovAI has a strong culture of rigour and collaboration.
A Note for Senior Candidates
GovAI acknowledges that for senior professionals or established academics, the full-time, in-person, three-month structure of the fellowship may present practical challenges — whether related to existing commitments, family obligations, or professional responsibilities.
For candidates with exceptional profiles, GovAI is sometimes able to make accommodations. If you are in this category and would like to explore this option, you should email fellowships@governance.ai with a subject line that includes the words “senior candidate winter fellowship 2027,” attach a copy of your CV, and briefly explain what adjustments would be needed to make your participation possible.
Why This Fellowship Stands Out
There are many fellowship programmes in the policy and research world, but the GovAI Winter Fellowship has several qualities that set it apart.
First, there is the relevance of the field. AI governance is not a niche academic exercise — it is one of the defining policy challenges of the coming decades. Joining GovAI at this moment in history means working on problems that matter enormously, with people at the frontier of the debate.
Second, there is the quality of the network. GovAI alumni are now embedded in governments, international organisations, leading AI labs, and top universities. Spending three months in this environment and building genuine relationships with researchers and practitioners is a career investment that pays dividends far beyond the fellowship itself.
Third, the fellowship is structured for real output. This is not a shadowing or observation programme. Fellows are expected to produce publishable, public-facing work. That is both a challenge and an opportunity, and the GovAI team provides serious support to help fellows succeed.
Finally, the fully funded, visa-inclusive package reflects a genuine commitment to accessibility. Many prestigious fellowship programmes in the UK are effectively closed to international applicants due to visa complexity or financial barriers. GovAI has addressed this directly.
Application Tips: How to Strengthen Your Application
While GovAI has not published a formal application guide, the selection criteria make clear what a strong application should demonstrate. Here are some practical suggestions:
- Lead with your reasoning ability. The written application is your chance to show GovAI how you think. Be clear, structured, and precise. Avoid vague generalities.
- Be specific about your research interests. GovAI fellows choose their own research topic, so arriving with a clear sense of the problem you want to explore, and why it matters for AI governance, will make you a more compelling candidate.
- Demonstrate genuine engagement with AI governance. You do not need to be a veteran of the field, but you should show that you have engaged seriously with its core questions and debates.
- Connect your background to the work. Even if your expertise is in an adjacent field, make explicit how it is relevant to AI governance. GovAI wants to understand why your particular skills and perspective would be an asset.
- Write as you would want your research to read. GovAI values clear, concise writing. Your application is itself a writing sample.
How to Apply: Step-by-Step Process
The application process for the GovAI Winter Fellowship 2027 takes place in three rounds, followed by a final decision period. Here is what to expect at each stage:
- Round One: Submit your written application online. If shortlisted, you will be asked to complete an automated abstract reasoning assessment, which takes approximately 20 minutes. This assessment serves as a filter for the second round.
- Round Two (August): Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete a paid, remote work test. This gives GovAI a direct view of your analytical and writing capabilities in a practical setting.
- Round Three (September): Candidates who advance will participate in a remote interview and undergo reference checks. This is GovAI’s opportunity to assess team fit and discuss your research ideas in depth.
- Final Decisions (October): GovAI expects to communicate final decisions to all candidates in October 2026.
If you need a decision by a specific date, have a disability that requires accommodations during the application process, or have questions about any stage of the process, you should contact GovAI directly at fellowships@governance.ai.
Please note that depending on applicable legal and compliance requirements, some candidates may be asked to undergo background checks or sanctions screening as part of the selection process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GovAI Winter Fellowship fully funded? Yes. Fellows receive a £12,000 stipend, travel support, weekday lunches, and a workspace at the GovAI London office. Visa sponsorship is also available for international applicants.
Do I need a background in AI or technology? No. GovAI welcomes applicants from many disciplines, including political science, economics, law, cybersecurity, and more. What matters is the relevance of your expertise to AI governance problems.
Can I apply if I am a student? Yes. The fellowship is open to students, recent graduates, and professionals at various career stages.
Is the fellowship available to non-UK nationals? Yes. GovAI can sponsor a three-month temporary UK work visa for successful international applicants.
What is the application deadline? The deadline is 23:59 BST on Sunday, 12 July 2026.
Can senior professionals apply? Yes, and GovAI may be able to make accommodations for senior candidates with exceptional profiles who face practical obstacles. Email fellowships@governance.ai for more information.
What kind of research output is expected? Fellows may produce a report, white paper, journal article, opinion editorial, or blog post, depending on what is most appropriate for their research topic and intended audience.
