The Horizon Fellowship is run by the nonpartisan nonprofit Horizon Institute for Public Service. It prepares people with expertise in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, or related emerging technologies for policy work.
Selected participants complete policy training, receive support to match with a host, and then work full-time in the Washington, DC area at a federal agency, congressional office, national laboratory, or think tank. The 2027 cohort offers junior fellow, fellow, and senior fellow levels, with placement routes shaped by experience and host type.
Benefits & funding
- Base salary: $78,000 per year for junior fellows, $130,000 per year for fellows, and $190,000 or more per year for senior fellows.
- Benefits-equivalent stipend: $17,000 per year for health insurance and retirement.
- Professional development: up to $3,000 per year.
- Relocation: up to $3,000 for a move to Washington, DC, when needed.
- Initial placement: six months for junior think tank fellows and 12 months for fellows and senior fellows; renewal can extend total participation to 12 or 24 months respectively.
- Training, mentorship, host introductions, matching support, and continuing career support are included.
Eligibility
- Applicants may be at any career stage but must show expertise, interest, or a relevant background in AI, biotechnology, or another related emerging-technology field.
- Applicants must already be authorized to work in the United States without employer-sponsored immigration status. Horizon may assess certain country-specific visa routes case by case for think tank placements and can support the first year of post-graduation F-1 OPT, but not a STEM OPT extension.
- Fellows must be willing to live and work full-time in the Washington, DC area during placement and be available there by August 2027.
- No single degree minimum applies across the program. The junior think tank route accepts recent bachelor’s or master’s graduates and does not require work experience; other routes require multiple years of work experience or graduate-level academic training.
- US citizenship is not required for every route, although some placements involving a security clearance may be unavailable to non-citizens.
Can you apply?
Open to all applicants
No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.
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Application process
- 1Submit the online form with a CV or resume of no more than two pages and short answers of no more than 200 words each.
- 2If selected to continue, complete a paid work sample of up to six hours.
- 3Complete screening, technical, and final interviews, with references collected and checked during the later stages.
- 4If selected for the cohort, complete the applicable training and matching process before securing a host placement.
Program timeline
Application deadline.
August 30, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Anywhere on Earth
Paid work sample, interviews, and reference checks for advancing applicants.
September to November 2026
Cohort selected.
November to December 2026
Standard-track policy training, remote and part-time.
January to March 2027
Accelerated congressional training, full-time in Washington, DC.
January 2027
Accelerated congressional matching.
February 2027
Standard-track matching, remote and part-time.
March to May 2027
Expected accelerated congressional placement start.
February or March 2027
Expected standard-track placement start, varying by fellow.
Summer 2027