Astra Fellowship 2027: Fully Funded 5-Month AI Safety Research Fellowship at Constellation in Berkeley
Astra is Constellation’s flagship fellowship designed to accelerate the development of AI safety research and talent by bringing talented people into the field and connecting them with experienced mentors, research opportunities, and career support.
As artificial intelligence continues to advance rapidly, the Astra Fellowship focuses on developing people who want to work on reducing the risks associated with advanced AI. The programme provides selected fellows with an opportunity to spend five months working in person at Constellation’s research center in Berkeley, California, while advancing frontier AI safety projects under the guidance of expert mentors.
Importantly, previous professional experience specifically in AI safety is not required. Constellation states that many impactful fellows have entered the field from adjacent areas and gone on to make significant contributions.
The organization is currently accepting expressions of interest so that interested candidates can be notified when the next Astra cohort launches.
What Is the Astra Fellowship?
Astra is a fellowship programme created by Constellation to help expand the pool of people working on AI safety.
The programme brings together talented individuals who are interested in addressing risks associated with advanced artificial intelligence and gives them access to:
- Research opportunities
- Expert mentorship
- Dedicated research management
- Career support
- An environment focused on AI safety
- Connections with people and organizations working in the field
- Opportunities to develop projects addressing important AI safety problems
The fellowship is particularly focused on people who want to transition into full-time AI safety careers or potentially establish their own organizations focused on AI safety.
Why AI Safety Is the Focus
The rapid development of increasingly capable AI systems has created growing interest in understanding and managing potential risks associated with advanced AI.
Astra is designed around the idea that developing AI safety talent is an important part of addressing these challenges.
Rather than simply providing theoretical exposure to the field, the fellowship allows participants to work on research projects and develop practical experience with guidance from people who are already working in AI safety.
The programme therefore combines:
- Research
- Mentorship
- Practical project development
- Professional development
- Career support
- Networking within the AI safety community
Fully Funded 5-Month Programme
Astra is described as a fully funded, five-month, in-person programme.
The fellowship takes place at Constellation’s Berkeley research center in California, United States.
This means selected fellows participate in the programme in person rather than completing it entirely remotely.
The five-month structure gives fellows an extended period to focus on research, develop ideas, receive feedback from mentors, and explore potential long-term career paths within AI safety.
Research Opportunities
One of the central elements of Astra is the opportunity to advance frontier AI safety projects.
Fellows receive guidance from expert mentors while working on projects intended to contribute to AI safety.
The programme is therefore suitable for people who are interested in developing new ideas and exploring research questions related to the safe development and deployment of advanced AI.
The fellowship encourages participants to pursue new ideas rather than simply following a predetermined research assignment.
Expert Mentorship
Selected fellows receive guidance from experienced mentors.
Mentorship can be particularly valuable for people transitioning into AI safety from another field because it provides an opportunity to learn from researchers and professionals already working on relevant problems.
Through this structure, fellows can receive feedback and guidance as they develop their research projects and explore possible directions within the field.
Research Management and Career Support
Astra does not focus exclusively on research.
Fellows also receive dedicated research management and career support from Constellation’s team.
This can help participants understand how to structure research projects, develop professionally, and explore potential opportunities after completing the fellowship.
The programme is particularly interested in people who want to move into full-time AI safety roles or potentially launch AI safety-focused organizations.
Previous Astra Cohort Outcomes
According to Constellation, more than 80% of the first Astra cohort are now working full-time in AI safety roles.
The organization states that members of the first cohort went on to work at organizations including:
- Redwood Research
- METR
- Anthropic
- OpenAI
- Google DeepMind
- Center for AI Standards and Innovation
- UK AI Security Institute
These examples demonstrate the types of career paths that participants from the programme have subsequently pursued, according to Constellation.
For the upcoming round, Constellation states that it wants to expand this impact by supporting more people entering high-impact AI safety roles and helping fellows establish new initiatives focused on urgent and neglected problems.
What Constellation Is Looking For
The programme is seeking talented people who are excited about pursuing new ideas and projects that advance safe AI.
Applicants may be a strong fit if they meet several of the following characteristics.
1. Motivation to Reduce Catastrophic AI Risks
Astra is looking for people who are motivated by the goal of reducing potentially catastrophic risks associated with advanced AI.
Applicants should therefore have a genuine interest in AI safety and the challenges associated with increasingly capable AI systems.
2. Technical or Domain-Specific Experience
Applicants should bring either technical expertise or domain-specific experience that could be relevant to AI safety.
The programme specifically identifies two broad focus areas:
- Empirical research
- Strategy and governance
This means applicants may come from different academic and professional backgrounds, provided their skills and experience can contribute to AI safety work.
3. Interest in Transitioning Into AI Safety
The programme is particularly relevant for individuals who would like to transition into a full-time AI safety role.
Someone currently working in another technical or professional field may therefore be able to use Astra as a pathway into AI safety.
4. Interest in Starting an AI Safety Organization
Astra also welcomes people interested in creating their own AI safety-focused organization.
The fellowship can provide an environment in which participants develop ideas, conduct research, connect with mentors, and explore potential initiatives.
Previous AI Safety Experience Is Not Required
One of the notable features of the Astra Fellowship is that prior AI safety experience is not required.
Constellation states that many of its impactful fellows entered the field from adjacent disciplines and were able to make significant contributions.
This means applicants should not automatically rule themselves out simply because they have never previously worked specifically in AI safety.
Relevant technical or domain expertise, strong motivation, and an interest in developing new ideas may be important considerations.
Applicants who are interested in the field but are uncertain whether they meet every qualification are also encouraged by Constellation to express their interest.
Potential Backgrounds for Applicants
Because the programme identifies empirical research and strategy and governance as key areas, people with different forms of expertise may potentially be relevant.
Depending on their experience, this could include people with backgrounds in areas such as:
- Artificial intelligence
- Computer science
- Machine learning
- Mathematics
- Statistics
- Economics
- Public policy
- Political science
- Law
- Governance
- International relations
- Technology policy
- Research
- Other technical or domain-specific disciplines
However, the supplied announcement does not establish a fixed academic degree requirement or an exhaustive list of qualifying disciplines. Applicants should therefore focus on demonstrating how their existing expertise could contribute to AI safety.
Expression of Interest
At the current stage, Constellation is asking interested individuals to complete an expression of interest form.
The purpose of the form is to allow interested people to register their interest and receive notification when the next Astra cohort launches.
This is important because the announcement does not provide a current application deadline for the fellowship itself.
Instead, prospective applicants are encouraged to submit their interest through the expression-of-interest form.
Visit HERE to learn more about the Astra Fellowship 2027
Application Deadline
No specific deadline is stated for the expression of interest form in the supplied announcement.
The announcement says that interested individuals should complete the expression-of-interest form to be notified when the next cohort launches.
Because there is no stated closing date in the provided information, applicants should not assume that a particular deadline applies.
Programme Location
Astra is an in-person programme based at:
Constellation’s research center in Berkeley, California, USA.
Applicants should therefore take the in-person nature of the fellowship into account when considering whether the programme is suitable for them.
Programme Duration
The fellowship lasts:
Five months
The extended programme duration allows fellows to spend substantial time working on research projects, receiving mentorship, developing professional relationships, and exploring future opportunities in AI safety.
What Fellows Can Gain From the Programme
Participants can potentially gain experience and connections across several areas.
Research Development
Fellows work on frontier AI safety projects and can develop their ability to identify, investigate and communicate research questions.
Mentorship
Expert mentors provide guidance throughout the fellowship.
Professional Development
Dedicated career support can help fellows explore potential pathways into AI safety.
Community and Networking
Participants become connected to people working on AI safety research and related areas.
Project Development
Fellows have an opportunity to develop and advance their own ideas and projects.
Career Transition
For people coming from adjacent fields, the fellowship can provide a structured pathway toward pursuing AI safety work full time.
Entrepreneurship
Individuals interested in establishing AI safety-focused organizations can use the fellowship environment to develop and explore new initiatives.
International Applicants and Geographic Eligibility
The supplied announcement does not provide a specific list of eligible countries or nationalities.
It describes Astra as an international programme and does not state that participation is limited to citizens of a particular country, region, continent or nationality.
However, the programme is explicitly in person in Berkeley, California, so prospective international participants would need to be able to participate in the programme in the United States and satisfy any applicable U.S. entry or immigration requirements.
The supplied information does not state whether Constellation provides visa sponsorship or immigration assistance.
Race and Ethnicity Eligibility
The supplied announcement does not identify any race, ethnicity or ethnic group as being specifically eligible or ineligible.
Therefore, there is no race-based eligibility restriction stated in the information provided.
The primary focus is on applicants’ motivation, relevant technical or domain-specific experience, interest in AI safety, and potential to contribute to the field.
Who Should Consider Expressing Interest?
The opportunity may be relevant to people who:
- Are highly interested in AI safety.
- Want to work on risks associated with advanced AI.
- Have technical experience relevant to AI research.
- Have domain-specific expertise that could contribute to AI safety.
- Are interested in empirical AI safety research.
- Are interested in AI strategy and governance.
- Want to transition from another field into AI safety.
- Want to pursue a full-time AI safety career.
- Are interested in creating an AI safety-focused organization.
- Have strong ideas for projects that could advance safe AI.
- Do not have previous AI safety experience but have relevant adjacent experience.
Important Things to Know Before Applying
Prospective applicants should keep the following points in mind:
- Astra is a five-month fellowship, not a short-term workshop.
- The programme is fully funded, according to Constellation.
- It is an in-person programme in Berkeley, California.
- Previous AI safety experience is not required.
- Technical or domain-specific experience relevant to empirical research or strategy and governance is encouraged.
- The programme is designed partly to help people transition into full-time AI safety careers.
- Participants can also use the programme to explore launching AI safety-focused organizations.
- Expert mentors provide research guidance.
- Fellows receive research management and career support.
- The current announcement asks interested individuals to complete an expression of interest form.
- No specific application deadline is provided for the expression of interest in the supplied information.
- International applicants should consider U.S. travel and immigration requirements because participation is in person.
Conclusion
The Astra Fellowship is a five-month, fully funded, in-person programme created by Constellation to develop AI safety research talent and help more people enter the field.
Through research projects, expert mentorship, research management and career support, the programme provides participants with an environment for exploring important questions surrounding the safety of advanced AI.
For more global grants, scholarships, fellowships, internships, jobs, conferences, competitions, and other career opportunities for young people, visit the Opportunities for Youth (OFY) website at www.opportunitiesforyouth.org.
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