Researchers / Senior Researchers - AI Compute Policy

Apply by Sunday, August 10.

If you have any issues applying, please email careers@iaps.ai.

Key Information

• Title: Researcher OR Senior Researcher (Compute Policy)

• Salary:

  • Researcher: $60,000 - $110,000 USD annually (pre-tax)

  • Senior Researcher: $111,000 - $220,000 USD annually (pre-tax)

• Location: remote (we are able to hire in most countries), with a preference for candidates who are based or would be willing to relocate to Washington, D.C., or the San Francisco Bay Area (visa sponsorship available)

• Job type: full-time preferred, permanent position

• Start date: as soon as possible, ideally between September and October. However, we welcome applications from candidates who may be available to start later in the year.

• Q&A webinar: You can access the recording of the Q&A webinar held on July 21 here.

• Application deadline: Sunday, August  10, 2025, at the end of the day (23:59) Anywhere on Earth (UTC-12:00). This deadline also applies to other Researcher, Senior Researcher and Research Manager roles.

About IAPS

The Institute for AI Policy and Strategy (IAPS) is a nonpartisan think tank that engages experts across the U.S., allied, and partner nations to deliver concrete, technically sound policy research. We believe that AI and AGI are poised to bring transformative change over the coming years, and want to play an active role in shaping its future. Our work involves:

• Conducting forward-looking policy research in areas including preparedness, information and supply chain security, and international coordination needed to navigate strategic competition with adversaries who may misuse AI.

• Cultivating policy talent — IAPS is forging a community of researchers and practitioners from across many policy areas and backgrounds to meet this critical moment.

• Providing relevant and timely insights to stakeholders across Congress, the executive branch, industry, academia, and civil society.

Follow these links to read more about our work and our team, and sign up to our newsletter.

About the Role

The Institute for AI Policy and Strategy (IAPS) is seeking Researchers and Senior Researchers to join our Compute Policy team. Our compute policy work focuses on strengthening the strategic advantage that the US and its allies maintain in AI and semiconductors, and giving the US and allied nations tools to navigate the risks arising from geopolitical competition around AI. This work includes research and policy engagement related to:

• AI- and semiconductor-related export controls, including:

• Understanding the state and scale of AI chip smuggling

• Technical measures to combat AI chip smuggling and other violations of export controls

• Understanding Chinese efforts to indigenize AI chip-making

• Potential export controls on remote access to AI chips

• AI data center and hardware security to protect national security and the US advantage in AI intellectual property 

• Hardware-enabled mechanisms to support international verification of claims about  the security of advanced AI systems

IAPS seeks to take a truth-seeking and quantitative approach to our research. We want to work on the most important and action-relevant questions, and to put numbers on our answers, even when we’re uncertain, while also representing that uncertainty honestly.

We are currently also hiring Researchers / Senior Researchers for our Frontier AI and International Strategy teams (see our hiring page here). Please only fill in the application once even if you are interested in multiple teams: the initial application form is the same for each, and will ask you which teams you are interested in. If you are unsure which team is the best fit, we will be happy to explore that with you during the hiring process.

Additionally, we are hiring for Senior Research Managers for our Frontier Security and Compute Policy teams (see our hiring page here). You are welcome to apply to both the (Senior) Researcher and Senior Research Manager positions. Please note that Research Manager roles require separate applications as the initial application questions differ. If you would also like to be considered for the Research Manager role, please make sure to submit a separate application. 

Key Responsibilities

If hired as a Researcher, your responsibilities would include:

• Collaborating with team members (or occasionally independently) on deep research projects and rapid-response deliverables such as policy memos, requests for information, and responses to stakeholder requests.

• Conducting outreach to relevant stakeholders (e.g. government agencies, AI companies) and thought partners (e.g. other think tanks, academics).

• Contributing to team strategy discussions and inputting on others’ research projects within your areas of expertise.

If hired as a Senior Researcher, your responsibilities would also include:

• Identifying new research opportunities and assisting the Compute Policy Research Manager with prioritizing and planning for these.

• Leading research projects and / or rapid-response deliverables.

• Mentoring other researchers in the team on your areas of expertise.

• Reviewing and advising other research projects outside your own.

• Establishing IAPS as go-to, highly trusted experts for AI policy issues relating to your area of expertise. This would involve thought leadership, presenting in public forums such as conferences, proactive network building, and consistently delivering sound and well-researched advice to partners and stakeholders on request.

What We Are Looking For

Experience

• Researchers are expected to have 1+ year of relevant experience in a research, policy, investigative or technical role.

• Senior researchers are expected to have 5+ years of relevant experience in a research, policy, or technical role.

• Please note: while we are looking for candidates with a minimum of 1 year relevant experience for researchers and 5 years for senior researchers, we welcome applications from candidates with significantly more experience than this! We have a wide salary range to compensate for experience appropriately. 

“Relevant experience” relates to time spent in one or a combination of the following roles:

• Research or policy roles, with a preference for experience related to AI, dual-use technology, export controls, national security policy, research and development (R&D), or standards development.

• Technical roles, with a preference for experience involving semiconductors, AI chip design, or secure compute infrastructure (e.g. data center security, hardware-based access controls).

• Investigative roles, such as journalism, intelligence analysis, or oversight roles related to R&D funding and technology programs.

If you are unsure which level to apply to, the application form allows you to apply to both. Years of experience is not the only criteria for the Senior Researcher role, and we may consider a candidate with 5+ years of relevant experience for the Researcher role if we believe their skillset and the level of relevance of their experience is a better fit for that level. Alternatively, if your skillset and experience are exceptional and fit our needs, we may consider you for a senior role with less than 5 years of relevant experience.

Skills and Competencies

• Ability to quickly understand complex technical and regulatory concepts, and convey them simply and accurately.

• Ability to write clearly and concisely for a range of audiences, particularly policymakers.

• Ability to find, read, critically assess, and apply research or policy from various disciplines to AI-specific contexts and concerns.

• Ability to manage uncertainty and to generate novel solutions to policy and technical problems.

• Interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team.

• Ability to prioritize well and meet deadlines.

• Willingness and ability to conduct outreach with relevant stakeholders and experts, particularly with government and AI companies.

• Agency and problem-solving ability.

We encourage candidates to apply even if they do not meet all skills listed. We are open to hiring someone with substantial strengths in some areas but who need to develop their skills in others, and we invest heavily in our staff’s development.

What We Offer

Compensation

• Annual salary within the following ranges for a full-time position, prorated for part-time work:

  • Researcher: $60,000 - $110,000 USD (pre-tax)

  • Senior Researcher: $111,000 - $220,000 USD (pre-tax)

• Compensation is not restricted to USD and will be paid in a candidate’s local currency after applying the appropriate exchange rate.

• The exact salary will be based on the candidate’s prior relevant experience and location (candidates in DC and SF will receive relatively higher salaries), according to IAPS’s salary algorithm.

Other Benefits

• Comprehensive global benefits package, including fully paid health insurance. 

• Generous paid time off (PTO) leave and unpaid leave, including:

• Unlimited vacation with a minimum 30 days off per year (incl. public local holidays, vacation time, and “mandated” 3-weeks total mid- and end-year organization-wide breaks).

• Unlimited (within reason) personal and sick leave.

• Parental leave - up to 6-9 months of a combination of paid and unpaid parental leave that can be taken prior to and/or during the first 2 years after a child’s birth or adoption. 

• Technology stipend of the equivalent of $2000 USD every 3 years that can be used to cover costs of purchasing work and office equipment.

• Annual team retreat and other opportunities for fully paid travel of generally 1-2 weeks per trip, including stipends to help cover the cost of dependent care while traveling. (Note: travel is never required)

• We encourage proactive professional development and offer learning opportunities, including conferences and workshops. We also encourage staff to set aside 10% of work time dedicated to professional and personal development.

Logistics and Additional Information

• Location: These roles are fully remote, and we are able to legally hire in most countries. However, candidates based in Washington D.C., San Francisco, or London can expect to receive a higher salary to reflect the added value of in-person stakeholder outreach in these locations of interest to our organization. In certain cases, we may be able to provide visa sponsorship to the US or UK and help candidates relocate. If you have questions about whether we can hire or provide visa sponsorship in another country and if this will influence your decision about applying, please contact careers@iaps.ai before submitting your application.

• Hours: We seek candidates who can commit to at least 20 hours per week. Please note that the salary is based on a 40-hour workweek and will be prorated accordingly.

• Travel: This role has a lot of opportunities for business travel. However, all travel is optional and travel is not required to take this position. Trips are fully paid and may involve visits to Washington DC, San Francisco, London, one team retreat annually, and relevant conferences.

• Extension requests: We will try to accommodate extension requests that are made before the deadline and are up to three (3) days. We generally cannot accommodate extension requests made on or after the application deadline, or are longer than 3 days, and cannot accept late submissions to ensure fairness to other applicants.

• Language: Please submit all of your application materials in English and note that we require professional level English proficiency.

• Accessibility: We’re committed to running an inclusive and accessible application process. We warmly invite you to reach out to careers@iaps.ai with any questions or accessibility requests.

• Hiring Emails: Please add careers@iaps.ai to your trusted contacts and/or check your 'spam', 'promotions' and ‘updates’ folders, if you don’t hear from us within the expected timeframe. We also encourage you to add Fillout domain (@fillout.com) as we collect job applications through Fillout’s platform.

Our Hiring Process

There are 4 evaluation stages for the Researcher and Senior Researcher roles: (1) application questions, (2) written task (3) interview and (4) reference checks. Occasionally, we may insert a brief additional step - such as a short  interview or a small task - to help us fairly assess candidates before the larger written task. If used, this step will take no more than an hour. We aim to complete assessments at each stage within two weeks and ensure every application receives a response.

To apply, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button below. You may select whether you want to be considered for the Researcher role, Senior Researcher role, or both, and which team(s) you wish to be considered for within the application form. We ask that you spend no more than two (2) hours preparing your responses to the prompts in the form.

Note Before Applying: Please do not include a cover letter, photograph, or headshot of yourself, or any personal information that is not relevant to the role for which you’re applying (including marital status, age, identity traits, etc.). Additionally, please do not ask our staff members involved in the hiring process to meet with you – to ensure fairness, we try to minimize these interactions, and requests for meetings with the hiring committee members during the process will be declined. 

Contact: Please email careers@iaps.ai if you have any questions.