Lead Research Scientist/Engineer (Embedded Evaluations)

Application deadline: We are conducting interviews actively and aim to fill this role as soon as we find someone suitable. ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY The OpenAI/Hugging Face incident may be the biggest warning shot we get before catastrophic loss-of-control. In its aftermath, Anthropic and OpenAI publicly committed to giving embedded evaluators an unprecedented level of access. Embedded evaluations are the best existing method to find out whether alignment is on track. With OpenAI predicting an automated researcher by March 2028, we don't have time to start with an MVP embedded evaluation and iteratively improve it. The first embedded evaluations will set the standard and we have to get it right. Apollo has taken steps toward becoming an embedded evaluator at frontier labs. We want to hire experienced senior researchers with a strong track record of getting things done to execute our embeddedevaluationplans. ABOUT APOLLO RESEARCH The rapid rise in AI capabilities offers tremendous opportunities, but also presents significant risks. At Apollo Research, we’re primarily concerned with risks from Loss of Control, i.e. risks coming from the model itself rather than e.g. humans misusing the AI. We’re particularly concerned with deceptive alignment / scheming, a phenomenon where a model appears to be aligned but is, in fact, misaligned and capable of evading human oversight. We work on the detection of scheming (e.g., building evaluations and novel evaluation techniques), the science of scheming (e.g., model organisms and the study of scaling trends), and scheming mitigations (e.g., control). We closely work with multiple frontier AI companies, e.g. to test their models before deployment and collaborate on fundamental research. At Apollo, we aim for a culture that emphasizes truth-seeking, being goal-oriented, giving and receiving constructive feedback, and being friendly and helpful. If you’re interested in more details about what it’s like working at Apollo, you can find more information here. ABOUT THE TEAM Alex Meinke leads the science of scheming team’s research agenda with guidance from Marius Hobbhahn, though team members lead individual projects. You will mostly work with the science of scheming team as well as our team of software engineers, but you will likely sometimes interact with the governance team to translate technical knowledge into concrete recommendations. You can find our full team here. Equality Statement: Apollo Research is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and are committed to providing equal opportunities to all, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. How to apply: Please complete the application form with your CV. The provision of a cover letter is optional but not necessary. Please also feel free to share links to relevant work samples. About the interview process: Our multi-stage process includes a screening interview, 3 technical interviews, and a final interview with Marius (CEO). The technical interviews will be closely related to tasks the candidate would do on the job. There are no LeetCode-style general coding interviews. If you want to prepare for the interviews, we suggest (a) thinking about what embedded evaluators should investigate, (b) building a tool that would be useful for embedded evaluators and running it on suitable proxy data, and/or (c) writing a report based on mock findings. Your Privacy and Fairness in Our Recruitment Process: We are committed to protecting your data, ensuring fairness, and adhering to workplace fairness principles in our recruitment process. To enhance hiring efficiency, we use AI-powered tools to assist with tasks such as resume screening. These tools are designed and deployed in compliance with internationally recognized AI governance frameworks. Your personal data is handled securely and transparently. We adopt a human-centred approach: all resumes are screened by a human and final hiring decisions are made by our team. If you have questions about how your data is processed or wish to report concerns about fairness, please contact us at info@apolloresearch.ai.