Fellowship•USA · Berkeley

MATS Research Fellowship (ML Alignment & Theory Scholars)

Funding

Fully Funded · Partial / Stipend

Program dates

Sep 28, 2026 – Dec 4, 2026

MATS (ML Alignment & Theory Scholars) is a 10-week research fellowship run by MATS Research, an independent US 501(c)(3) charity. It pairs emerging researchers with experienced mentors to work full-time on AI alignment, interpretability, security, and governance. The main program runs in person in Berkeley, California (with a London, UK option), and strong fellows can apply for a funded 6–12 month extension afterwards. Applicants choose from tracks spanning empirical ML, theory, strategy and forecasting, policy and governance, systems security, biosecurity, and field-building.

Benefits & funding

  • Stipend of US$1,250 per week (≈US$12,500 over the 10 weeks)
  • Compute budget of US$2,000 per week (≈US$20,000 total)
  • Free housing and catered weekday meals during the main program
  • Travel costs covered; J-1 visa arranged for non-US participants
  • One-on-one mentorship plus office space in Berkeley or London
  • Optional 6- or 12-month funded extension (≈US$7,680/month for stipend and housing, plus ≈US$8,000/month compute); around 80% of fellows who apply are accepted

Eligibility

  • Open to people from diverse academic and professional backgrounds — including ML, mathematics, computer science, physics, cognitive science, economics, and policy
  • Strong undergraduates, current or recent PhD students, and industry professionals moving into AI safety are all welcome
  • Core requirements: genuine motivation to contribute to AI safety, and evidence of technical aptitude, research potential, or relevant operational experience
  • No stated nationality, residency, age, or formal degree requirement; non-US participants receive J-1 visa support
  • Full-time commitment (40 hrs/week) by default; part-time (20 hrs/week) considered case by case

Application process

  1. 1
    Submit the Stage 1 general application: choose one or more tracks and answer track-specific short questions.
  2. 2
    Stage 2 central evaluations: complete standardized assessments that vary by track (coding tests, writing reviews, work tests).
  3. 3
    Stage 3 stream applications: apply to specific mentor streams, with further work tests and interviews.
  4. 4
    Mentors rank candidates and matches are made; offers are sent in late July / early August.

Program timeline

  1. Application deadline (Autumn 2026 cohort)

    Jun 7, 2026

  2. Central evaluations

    2026-06 (late)

  3. Offers sent

    2026-07 (late) / 2026-08 (early)

  4. Program starts

    Sep 28, 2026

  5. Program ends

    Dec 4, 2026

  6. Funded extension phase begins for selected fellows

    2026-12