Announcing SPAR Summer 2024!

By Lauren M @ 2024-05-06T17:55 (+18)

The Supervised Program for Alignment Research (SPAR) is open to applications for summer 2024! SPAR connects mentors and mentees for three-month AI safety and governance research projects. The Summer 2024 cycle of SPAR will take place virtually between June 14 and September 10, 2024. Available projects are live on the website; you can click here to see technical projects and here to see governance projects! 

Fill out this interest form if you would like to be updated about important SPAR deadlines for current and future SPAR iterations! 

• SPAR mentors propose and supervise projects while managing a team of mentees. You might be a good fit to be a SPAR mentor if you are a graduate student, academic, full-time AI safety researcher, independent researcher, or have prior full-time relevant research experience (e.g., MATS, Astra, GovAI fellow, etc.). Apply here by May 10!
• SPAR mentees participate in a collaborative research project under an experienced mentor. You might be a good fit to be a SPAR mentee if you have a technical/STEM background or a governance/policy background. SPAR projects vary in how much alignment-specific knowledge they require. Apply here by May 24.

SPAR was originally organized by Stanford AI Safety, Berkeley AI Safety Initiative, and Georgia Tech AI Safety, but is now expanding its scope beyond university students. The program is now run by a small team outside the university organizing ecosystem. We are actively looking for ways to make SPAR a better program, so if you have input, please let us know here! 

We think SPAR's value add is that it enables mentors to increase their research output by working with a team of mentees, while also allowing them to develop project management, leadership, and mentorship skills. Simultaneously, mentees can explore their fit for alignment research on a flexible basis and build alignment-relevant skills. Both mentors and mentees get an opportunity to produce concrete work that serves as a signal for future hiring. 

Applications for mentors are due by May 10, and mentees are due by May 24. You can apply to be a SPAR mentor here and a SPAR mentee here. If you are unsure about your fit, please err on the side of applying. We are also especially excited to see applications from women and other underrepresented groups! You can refer others who you think might be a good fit through this form. 

Remember to fill out the interest form if you'd like to hear about important dates for future and current SPAR iterations! 

Questions? Email sparexec@gmail.com or ask them below.