Postdoctoral Fellow, Call

Postdoctoral Fellowships at Basis

Postdoctoral Fellowships at Basis offer an immersive research environment for highly qualified researchers to deepen their expertise in computational theories of intelligence, including but not limited to reasoning, learning, and decision-making. Fellows will work closely with Basis Research Scientists and partnering Principal Investigators (PIs) from academic institutions.

Basis is a nonprofit applied AI research organization with two mutually reinforcing goals.

The first is to understand and build intelligence. This means to establish the mathematical principles of what it means to reason, to learn, to make decisions, to understand, and to explain; and to construct software that implements these principles.

The second is to advance society's ability to solve intractable problems. This means expanding the scale, complexity, and breadth of problems that we can solve today, and even more importantly, accelerating our ability to solve problems in the future.

To achieve these goals, we're building both a new technological foundation that draws inspiration from how humans reason, and a new kind of collaborative organization that puts human values first.

How it works:

• Basis Postdoctoral Fellows are jointly mentored and funded by Basis and partner PIs at academic institutions. Fellows split their time between Basis and the academic PI's lab, functioning like a jointly advised postdoctoral position.

• Each Fellow is paired with a Basis mentor selected to align with the Fellow's research program and goals.

• This structure offers a distinctive research environment that blends the strengths of academia and industry. Fellows have the autonomy to shape their own research agendas while benefiting from mentorship, collaboration, and resources from both settings.

• There are two pathways into the Fellowship: joining an existing project or proposing a new research direction through our open call.

• Researchers holding a PhD in computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, computational neuroscience, cognitive science, or related fields.

• Individuals with a demonstrated track record in scientific research, evidenced through publications, technical reports, or impactful software projects.

• Conduct independent and collaborative research within the thematic areas of Basis, focusing on computational theories of intelligence.

• Disseminate research findings through academic publications and presentations at leading conferences.

• Actively engage in knowledge transfer within Basis and with external partners, converting research into actionable insights and algorithms.

• Provide mentorship to junior team members and contribute to the scientific discourse at Basis through seminars, workshops, and collaborative projects.

• Full-time:
  This fellowship is full-time and has a fixed duration of 1 to 2 years.

• Location:
  
  Limited to the New York City and Boston areas; this is an in-person position.

• Salary:
  Competitive with leading postdoctoral fellowships.

• Start date:
  
  Applications reviewed on a rolling Basis. Immediate start possible.

Please submit the following:

• A cover letter (no more than 2 pages) that includes:

  • A brief description of your PhD research and past accomplishments

  • A list of at least three potential PI mentors outside of Basis. If you have a relationship with them or have already discussed the proposed work with them, please let us know.

• Your CV

• A research proposal (no more than 3 pages, not including references) outlining plans for research to be performed.

How is this fellowship different from a Research Scientist position at Basis?

• Differences

  • Duration:
    The fellowship is time-limited, usually spanning 1 to 2 years, unlike the Research Scientist roles which are permanent positions.

  • Academic Collaboration:
    Fellows will have co-mentorship from academic PIs.

  • Emphasis on Publication:
    Fellows are expected to publish their research, aligning more closely with traditional academic roles.

• Similarities

  • Contributions to Core Technology:
    Like Research Scientists, fellows are expected to contribute code to Basis core technology. Basis will support Postdoctoral scientists without extensive software engineering experience to develop these skills.

  • Research Funds:
    Fellows will have access to an annual allocation of research funds ($5,000) to be used for research expenses, skill development, conference attendance, and more.

  • Integration with the Basis community:
    Fellows will participate in Basis events, on-sites, and other activities, and may collaborate on other Basis projects.

What happens after the fellowship?

• Postdoctoral Fellows may be offered a full-time Research Scientist position at Basis, contingent upon performance and organizational needs.

Do I need to propose a collaborator PI? Can I apply without one?

• We ask that you suggest three or more potential PIs you would be interested in working with in your cover letter. These might be people you've been in contact…