Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude, is recruiting for two four-month fellowships that pay $100,000–$167,000: the STEM Fellows Program for scientists and engineers, and the Conceptual Reasoning Fellows Program for experts in philosophy, cognitive science, economics, policy and law.
Deadline: 28 October 2026.
About the Anthropic Fellowships
Both fellowships bring experienced researchers into Anthropic for four months to work with its research teams on Claude, its frontier AI model. Fellows bring deep expertise in their field and help Anthropic test, improve and apply Claude’s reasoning on the hardest problems in that field.
1. Anthropic STEM Fellows
For researchers across science and engineering. Fellows work in small groups (“pods”) with others in related fields. They set “grand challenge” problems in their discipline, build datasets, simulations and rigorous evaluations, and find where Claude falls short of expert judgment. Prior machine learning experience helps but is not required. Anthropic says scientific judgment and a willingness to learn quickly matter more. Its first cohort of more than 20 STEM Fellows, in mathematics, physics, life sciences and engineering, ran from June to September 2026.
2. Anthropic Conceptual Reasoning Fellows
For researchers and experts in philosophy, cognitive science, economics, policy and law. Fellows work on fields where questions have no single checkable answer. They design evaluations and AI training environments that test how well Claude reasons in their discipline. Example projects include a philosopher building hard ethics cases, an economist writing modelling problems, a policy scholar drafting cost-benefit tasks, and a legal scholar building AI-policy law datasets.
Benefits
- $100,000–$167,000 for the four-month fellowship (equivalent to $300,000–$500,000 a year), plus other benefits
- A concrete project matched to your background, with mentorship from Anthropic researchers
- Access to frontier Claude models and internal evaluation tools
- A cohort of fellows and a connection to Anthropic’s wider research community
- Some fellowships may be extended
Who Can Apply?
STEM Fellows:
- A PhD in a STEM field and several years of experience (for example, postdoc or faculty)
Conceptual Reasoning Fellows:
- A PhD (completed or in progress) in philosophy, cognitive science, economics, policy or law, or equivalent research experience
Both programmes:
- Existing authorisation to work in the United States for the whole programme (no visa sponsorship)
- Hands-on experience using Claude and Claude Code in your daily work
- Excitement about AI that can reason well about hard questions in your field
- Comfort working in a fast-paced, high-agency setting and delivering concrete results within a few months
Helpful but not required (Conceptual Reasoning): experience designing evaluations, benchmarks, datasets or expert rubrics, and a strong record of research or expert writing.
Anthropic encourages people to apply even if they do not meet every qualification, especially people from underrepresented groups.
Programme Details
- Dates: 12 January to 8 May 2027, full-time
- Location: San Francisco by default. Remote work within the US may be considered in some cases.
- Orientation: a one-week, in-person orientation in San Francisco for all fellows
- Contract: a fixed-term contract through an employer of record, not direct employment with Anthropic
Application Deadline
Applications close on 28 October 2026, and Anthropic plans to make offers by 20 November 2026. Later stages usually include a take-home exercise and conversations with the research team about your interests and possible projects.
How to Apply
- Choose the right track for your field.
- Apply through Anthropic’s official job pages:
- Submit before 28 October 2026.
APPLY: STEM FELLOWS | APPLY: CONCEPTUAL REASONING FELLOWS
More Fellowships and Funding
- Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity (AFSEE) 2027–28 at LSE (closes 11 January 2027)
- Y Combinator Winter 2027: Get US$500,000 for Your Startup (closes 2 November 2026)
- 100x Impact Accelerator 2027/28: £150,000 for Social Impact Ventures (closes 2 November 2026)
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Anthropic sponsor visas for this fellowship?
No. You must already have, or independently obtain, full-time work authorisation in the United States.
Do I need machine learning experience?
No. For the STEM track, Anthropic says ML experience helps but is not required. You do need hands-on experience using Claude and Claude Code.
How much does the fellowship pay?
$100,000–$167,000 for the four months, plus other benefits.
When is the deadline?
28 October 2026.
