Project summary

This project supports graduate policy training focused on frontier AI governance and catastrophic AI risk.

I have two options on the table for autumn 2026. If this project reaches the $90,000 minimum, I can attend the one-year MA in Public Policy at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. If it reaches the $150,000 funding goal, I can attend the RAND M.Phil. in Policy Analysis, which is the stronger fit and my preferred option.

Both programs are highly relevant. Harris offers an analytically rigorous one-year policy degree built around economics, statistics, and institutional analysis, which exactly fits work on compute governance, AI governance, international governance, model evaluations, and other governance mechanisms for advanced AI. Harris has awarded me a $45,000 scholarship, but the remaining gap is still too large to bridge personally. I have received an extension to accept my offer which expires on April 30, and Harris has already told me that deferring while keeping the scholarship is not an option.

RAND is my preferred path because it combines formal policy training with applied research in a setting deeply engaged with technology, security, and AI policy. RAND’s Technology, Data Science, and AI research area enables students to work with faculty directly on topics like AI energy demand, export controls on AI, and governance of dual-use systems through project-based research and OJT. That makes it uniquely well matched to research on frontier AI governance and catastrophic-risk-relevant institutions.

I’m not pivoting into a new area; I’m strengthening my current trajectory. I’m actively working in the AI governance and safety space through SPAR research on market-based compute permits for frontier AI training, Oxford Saïd research assistance, AJPH work on responsible AI in public health, GCIEM work on international AI health regulation, and model-safety and evaluation work through Micro1, Turing, and Handshake. This work has already led to a working paper on compute permit mechanisms, contributions to an AJPH manuscript under editorial review, and contributions to an international white paper on AI health regulation and harmonization. Graduate policy training is the missing step that would let that work compound into a stronger long-term research path.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

The goal of this project is to move from bridge-period AI governance work into formal graduate training that strengthens long-run capacity for policy research on advanced AI.

I have a strong base through an MS in Business Analytics from UIUC with a 4.0 GPA, five years of post-undergraduate professional experience, and active work across AI governance, public-interest AI, and institutional analysis. The remaining gap is formal training in policy analysis, economics, and institutional design, plus an environment that sharpens those skills around real governance problems.

At Harris, that would happen through a tightly structured one-year MA. At RAND, it would happen through the same kind of policy training plus hands-on research through OJT. In both cases, the goal is to deepen my research on compute governance, evaluations, institutional safeguards, and policy mechanisms that reduce catastrophic failures from advanced AI systems.

How will this funding be used?

If this project reaches the $90,000 minimum of funding, the Harris option becomes feasible.

That amount covers:

• Tuition - $26,000

• Living costs - $64,000

If this project reaches the $150,000 funding goal, the RAND option becomes feasible.

That amount covers:

• Tuition - $60,000

• Living costs - $90,000

Below $90,000, neither path is workable.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

This is an individual project. Links: LinkedIn, CV, Harris Scholarship Letter

My background combines quantitative training, policy-relevant research, and work in high-stakes operational environments. Before my master’s, I spent several years working on airline crew-management systems for international carriers. That work involved safety-critical processes, monitoring, redundancy, stakeholder coordination, and implementation under real institutional constraints. It shaped a lot of how I think about governance in high-risk systems.

My recent work has moved directly toward AI governance and public-interest research as follows:

• SPAR Research Fellow working on market-based compute permits for frontier AI training

• Short-Term RA at Oxford Saïd working on empirical replication and simulation workflows

• AJPH research on responsible AI in public health

• GCIEM research on international AI health regulations

• CIC research on administrative capacity, digital infrastructure, and remote learning during COVID-19

• Micro1, Turing, and Handshake work on model behavior, safety, and evaluation

• UIUC MS in Business Analytics, 4.0 GPA strengthening my machine learning, statistics, causal inference, and econometrics skills

Graduate policy training is the bottleneck now. The research trajectory is already in place; the missing piece is formal training in policy analysis and institutional design that would strengthen work on compute governance, evaluations, and catastrophic risk reduction.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

If funding does not reach $90,000 by April 30, the Harris option closes for me. The current scholarship package would be lost, and Harris has already indicated that deferral while retaining the scholarship is not available.

If funding reaches $90,000 but not $150,000, the RAND option closes for me, but the Harris path remains viable.

If funding does not reach either threshold in time, graduate policy training does not happen this cycle. That would mean losing a real, time-sensitive opportunity to move from early-stage AI governance work into formal policy training, and it would delay the transition into the research career this project is intended to support.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

Current committed funding for this project is a $45,000 scholarship from UChicago Harris.

No committed external funding is in place for the remaining Harris costs or for the RAND option.