Events, programs, and opportunities from MAIA. Join mailing list

MAIA logo

Hermes Fellowship

Technical AI safety problems have never been more urgent. MIT students have the potential to help solve them.

We are launching the Hermes Fellowship: a new MAIA research initiative connecting promising undergraduates with experienced AI safety researchers. Our goal is to help fellows build the skills needed to assess and ensure the safety of future, powerful AI systems.

Apply

Deadline: Wednesday, October 7, 11:59 PM ET

Program details

Hermes is an eight-week research fellowship designed for MIT students motivated to develop research skills in technical AI safety. Fellows join small teams of 2 to 3 MIT students working on a well-defined research project, while receiving mentorship from an AI safety researcher.

Eligibility
The fellowship is open to MAIA members and MIT undergraduates. Previous research experience is strongly preferred, even if not directly related to AI safety.
Dates
Early October through the end of fall classes, starting Friday, October 9.
Format
Teams of 2–3 MIT students research a well-formulated question under the guidance of an AI safety researcher. Research managers provide support throughout the program in the form of weekly meetings. Fellows are expected to commit roughly 15 hours per week.
Support
We will cover basic resources, such as compute and AI-agent costs. The program will provide weekly coworking sessions, weekend workshops, and paper reading groups, along with standard MAIA member programming.
Deliverables
By the end of the program, you are strongly encouraged to submit your work to a conference or workshop, or to write a blog post. If you wish to continue your project, we may be able to provide extensions, depending on research manager and mentor availability.

Mentors

Each team is mentored by an AI safety researcher. Your project proposal helps us match you with one.

  • More mentors
    coming soon!

Timeline

  1. October 7

    Applications close

    Submit the form by 11:59 PM ET.

  2. October 9

    Kick-off

    Paper replication workshops introduce your research area and how to get the most out of AI agents, while we match fellows with mentors.

  3. Mid to late October

    Scoping

    Meet your mentor and research manager, and turn a research direction into a project proposal.

  4. Late October to November

    Research

    Roughly 15 hours a week on your project, with weekly meetings and a midterm report.

  5. Early December

    Final presentations

    Teams share their work in final reports and presentations at the end of fall classes.

  6. IAP and spring

    Extensions

    Some teams may continue, depending on research manager and mentor availability.

Interested? Apply by Wednesday, October 7!

Apply

Questions? Email maia-exec@mit.edu.

In partnership with AISST

maia-exec@mit.edu
Accessibility