Frontier AI Research Lead

Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET); Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 100,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) seeks a Research Fellow or Senior Fellow to lead Frontier AI research, shape priorities, and oversee reports. The role includes managing researchers and engaging with government, industry, and international partners.

Strong candidates will have expertise in frontier AI, policy analysis, and leadership. The position emphasizes collaboration, data-informed methods, and policy-oriented outputs in a U.S. context.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in a relevant field.
• Ability to conduct research, write, brief, and manage others.
• Familiarity with interpreting and visualizing data.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Collaborative attitude; demonstrated ability to work in—and lead—teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead research projects and shape priorities for Frontier AI work.
• Oversee execution of research and production of reports; hire and manage analysts.
• Mentor Research Analysts, Research Assistants, and student affiliates; collaborate with data team.
• Present findings to policymakers; participate in public events and briefings.
• Develop presentations and briefs for policy-making audiences on Frontier AI topics.
• Monitor trends in CSET areas of interest and contribute to organizational development.

Skills

Data interpretation

Policy analysis

Communication

Team leadership

Project management

Education

Master's degree

PhD

Job description

About the Research:

The Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) is currently seeking candidates to lead our Frontier AI research efforts, either as a Research Fellow or Senior Fellow (depending on experience).

CSET is expanding our work on issues related to the cutting-edge, general-purpose AI systems known as ‘frontier AI.’ Building on work by CSET’s CyberAI Project, Foundational Research Grant’s program, and other teams, this research aims to give policymakers and other stakeholders greater clarity about the general-purpose AI frontier, including current capabilities, use cases, and risks; where the frontier might move next, including the prospects of developing artificial general intelligence or ‘superintelligence’ and the factors that likely to alter those prospects; and how new evidence should affect our picture of what to expect. Key areas for examination include investigating Chinese frontier AI efforts, monitoring the development and deployment of increasingly capable AI agents, making sense of conflicting evidence around capabilities and risks, and assessing compute demands of frontier systems. Understanding why experts disagree about key frontier AI issues and exploring what those issues mean for policy will be recurring themes across projects.

About the Role:

You will lead a new team at CSET that focuses on Frontier AI issues, including shaping priorities, laying out an overall research strategy, overseeing the execution of the research and production of reports, and helping to hire and manage supporting researchers, including (Sr.) Research Analysts and Student Research Assistants. Additionally, CSET Fellows frequently interact with government, industry, and international organizations and serve as subject matter experts for the media.

Responsibilities:

The incumbent must be comfortable interpreting and analyzing technical AI/ML research (e.g., large language models, multimodal systems, reinforcement learning) and distilling complex findings into clear, policy-relevant insights. They should be comfortable working with empirical data and using qualitative methods, such as in-depth interviews, and other research approaches to support policy recommendations. CSET Fellows are expected to lead research projects, communicate their findings in clear writing and presentations understandable to non-experts, brief policymakers, participate in public events, and manage and mentor CSET’s Research Analysts, Research Assistants, and student affiliates. They must work collaboratively with other CSET research teams with common interests and relevant expertise. They are also expected to work closely with CSET’s data team to conduct empirical analyses.

In addition, the Frontier AI Research Lead will report to CSET’s Director of Analysis and be responsible for the following:

• Developing, proposing, and leading research projects related to the Center’s mission and Frontier AI, both individually and in collaboration with other Research/Senior Fellows, (Senior) Research Analysts, Data Scientists, and Center leadership
• Designing research plans for data-focused analytic projects in coordination with members of CSET’s Data Science Team by identifying data needs, data team resourcing, and risk management approaches.
• Producing written publications, both individually and as a co-author
• Supervising, mentoring, and coaching other researchers, including (Senior) Research Analysts, Data Research Analysts, and Student Research Assistants.
• Editing related products by other researchers to ensure methodological rigor, tone, and consistency with other existing products.
• Collaborating with CSET data scientists in building out CSET’s data and documentation libraries.
• Developing and delivering presentations and briefs for policy-making audiences on topics related to Frontier AI issues and policy options
• Motivating, coaching, and challenging team members to provide quality projects and advance their professional development.
• Preparing and presenting performance (project and/or people) updates to leadership.
• Monitoring trends and developments in CSET areas of interest and national security policy.
• Contributing to CSET’s organizational development, including contributing to internal working groups, seminars, and discussions; and supporting and mentoring colleagues
• Upholding CSET’s mission, values, and culture.

Strong Candidates:

We are looking for candidates with the analytic tradecraft necessary to understand, track, and evaluate issues related to cutting-edge AI systems and their broader implications. This does not require experience across every aspect of AI research and policy, but a strong candidate will have deep familiarity with the frontier AI landscape as well as expertise in at least one of the following areas:

• Ongoing debates around safety, security, and governance of frontier AI systems, including around dangerous capabilities, loss of control risks, and systemic effects
• Applied experience in developing, training, deploying, or evaluating large-scale AI models
• Compute requirements, scaling laws, and infrastructure challenges
• Chinese AI research, policy, and deployment

Requirements for All Candidates:

• Graduate (Master’s, JD, PhD) degree in a relevant field
• Ability to conduct research, write, brief, and manage others with limited need for supervision
• Familiarity with interpreting and visualizing data
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Excellent problem-solving and critical-thinking skillsCuriosity and enthusiasm
• Collaborative attitude; demonstrated ability to work in—and lead—teams
• Project or team management experience
• Proficiency with office productivity tools like Google Docs and Microsoft Office
• Ability to work in the United States without employer sponsorship

Requirements for those applying as Research Fellow:

• At least 3 years of experience in research and policy analysis, including familiarity with interpreting and visualizing data

Requirements for those applying as Senior Fellow:

• At least 5 years of public service in senior roles OR 10 years of experience in progressive roles in the private sector.
• Experience in policy-making, research and development leadership, corporate leadership roles, or analysis experience is desirable.
• Comfort working in a matrixed/multi-disciplinary environment
• Demonstrated experience and proficiency in mentoring, professional development, and the creation of an inclusive environment within which employees can develop and grow effectively
• Motivated, enthusiastic, and self-driven
• Significant experience coaching and mentoring junior analysts/researchers in analytic and research tradecraft

This position is based in the United States and offers no relocation assistance. This position is not eligible for a specialty-occupation sponsorship. Accordingly, this position requires that all applicants be legally eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship from Georgetown University.

In general, Research Fellows can expect to earn between 100k-130k/year and Senior Fellows can expect to earn between $160-190k/year, commensurate with experience.

CSET’s Commitment to Fellows:

As part of CSET’s mission to develop the next generation of decision-makers, Fellows will have opportunities to lead significant research projects, manage teams, brief government officials; interact with the media; collaborate with internal and external research partners; engage with policymakers and other stakeholders in government and the private sector; and contribute meaningfully to CSET’s research agenda and development as an organization. Fellows gain exposure to government and other public service career options; and develop people management competencies. CSET is dedicated to providing full support to our staff through tailored professional development opportunities, flexible work arrangements and career coaching.