Oxford Technical AI Governance DPhil Studentships 2027
Fully funded Oxford DPhil places on the technical side of AI governance, from compute and hardware to model evaluations. Apply by 2 December 2026 for October 2027 entry.
The Technical AI Governance (TAIG) DPhil Studentships are run by the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative at the University of Oxford. Applications are open for October 2027 entry. The studentships are fully funded and full time.
Students do technical research that feeds into AI governance. Topics include compute infrastructure governance, privacy preserving audits, model evaluations and benchmarks, technical standards, information security and interpretability. Each student has a technical supervisor and a governance, policy or legal supervisor, and joins one of the labs: the Bayesian Governance Lab, the Hardware AI Governance Lab or the Technical Safety and Governance Lab.
AIGI is looking for people who want to do technical research with direct governance impact. Strong candidates usually have experience in engineering, computer science, statistics, mathematics or physics. People from AI policy, law or political science can apply if they also have a clear technical background.
There are two routes. Track I is a direct DPhil in Engineering Science or Computer Science, where your proposal must address one of the listed studentship projects. After you apply, email the Senior Programmes Manager by 3 December 2026. Track II goes through the AIMS doctoral training centre, with a first year of advanced technical courses, and you quote the AIGI reference code given on the page.
For Track I, applications with references must be complete by 12:00 midday UK time on 2 December 2026. If places remain, applications completed by 2 March 2027 may still be considered. The Track II deadline is 12:00 midday UK time on 27 January 2027.
Quick answers
Can I study part time or remotely?
AIGI prefers students in Oxford full time, but part time and remote options may be considered for exceptional candidates.
Do I need a policy background?
No. Most strong candidates have a technical background. Policy, law or political science applicants need a clear technical background too.