Funding

Partial / Stipend

Program dates

Jan 18, 2027 – Apr 9, 2027

Fellowship•USA · Washington

DC Winter Fellowship 2027

GovAI (Centre for the Governance of AI)

Application Deadline

Closed · July 12, 2026

Reopens ~Jul 2027

Official Page

The DC Winter Fellowship is GovAI’s three-month, full-time, in-person programme in Washington, DC, built to launch or accelerate careers in American AI governance and policy. GovAI — the Centre for the Governance of AI, a 501(c)(3) think tank founded at Yale University in 2016 and now led by Ben Garfinkel — pairs each fellow with a supervisor from its team or wider network. Fellows spend the first two weeks mapping the AI policy landscape, then settle on an independent research project of their own choosing. The output can take the form of a report, white paper, journal article, op-ed, or blog post aimed at an audience relevant to AI policy. The 2027 cohort runs from 18 January to 9 April 2027, and GovAI describes the fellowship as a bipartisan opportunity welcoming people from government, academia, industry, and civil society.

Benefits & funding

  • Stipend of US$21,000 for the three-month fellowship, plus support for travelling to DC.
  • Weekday lunch and a desk in GovAI’s DC office.
  • A supervisor from the GovAI team or network, with regular meetings throughout the fellowship.
  • Q&A sessions with AI policy experts, hands-on workshops and seminars, work-in-progress meetings for peer feedback, and social events.
  • A part-time fellowship at a pro-rated salary may be arranged for DC think-tank researchers, government staffers, and DC-based professionals already working on AI governance.
  • GovAI states it may be able to make accommodations where the pay level is a barrier to taking part.

Eligibility

  • Only candidates who have the right to work in the US may apply; GovAI does not sponsor visas for this fellowship.
  • The role is full-time and in person in Washington, DC.
  • No degree is required: applications are welcomed from promising undergraduates, from early-career people entering the US AI policy field, and from more experienced professionals.
  • Backgrounds GovAI names as relevant include public policy, political science, engineering, computer science, economics, biosecurity, cybersecurity, China studies, and risk management.
  • Selection weighs quality of work, relevant expertise, judgement, and team fit — openness to feedback, intellectual honesty and rigour, and comfort in expressing uncertainty.
  • Candidates may be asked to undergo background checks and/or due diligence and sanctions screening.

Can you apply?

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Application process

  1. 1
    Submit the written application, which includes an automated 20-minute abstract reasoning assessment (the 2027 round is now closed).
  2. 2
    Shortlisted candidates take a paid remote work test in August.
  3. 3
    Remaining candidates have a remote interview and reference checks in September.
  4. 4
    GovAI communicates final decisions in October.

Program timeline

  1. 12 July 2026

    Application deadline for the 2027 cohort

  2. Paid remote work test

    August 2026

  3. Remote interview and reference checks

    September 2026

  4. Final decisions communicated

    October 2026

  5. Fellowship begins

    18 January 2027

  6. Fellowship ends

    9 April 2027