A note from JueYan Zhang, who recommended this grant:
H was recently accepted into a Computer Science PhD program at a leading UK university, where they will explore institutional and technical models for equitable access to safe AI systems.
This is a high-leverage opportunity, but comes with significant upfront costs:
Tuition fees of ~£33,370 for the first year
Living costs of ~£24,420
Student Visa fees of ~£6,500
£64,290 1.3482 (GBP/USD) 1.01 (1% FX fee) = $87,543.
H is not eligible for UK student loans and faces a tight deadline to confirm enrollment. They are applying for other sources of funding but cannot count on them materializing in time to start this fall.
I was introduced to H through trusted mutual contacts. They’ve worked with UK DSIT, where their research has informed efforts on AI risk assessment. They’ve also held research and fellowship positions at the Oxford Martin School, GovAI, CSER, and IAPS. Their publications and policy papers have been relevant in discussions such as the UK AI Safety Summit. The financial constraints they are facing are real blockers to pursuing this opportunity.
Given the relevance of their research to global public goods and the potential for their work to inform policy in key areas of AI governance, I am happy to recommend funding to support H’s education and continuing research.