Research Analyst/Senior Research Analyst - Frontier AI Policy

RAND Europe is an independent, not-for-profit research organisation whose mission is to help improve policy and decision-making through rigorous and independent research and analysis. We benefit the public interest through the impact and wide dissemination of over 200 projects per year. Our work at its most impactful changes policy, practice and process to the benefit of the public good. That is also our organisational mission.

RAND Europe has approximately 200 staff across offices in Cambridge, Brussels, and the Hague. Our staff represents 22 nationalities, speaks over 20 languages and covers 31 academic disciplines. Our multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches to research generate unique perspectives and insights for our wide-ranging government, foundation and other NGO clients.

We wish to recruit an Analyst/Senior Analyst in our Science and Emerging Technology team (SET) to support our growing portfolio of frontier AI policy research, with additional opportunities to get involved in the SET team’s broader portfolio of policy research in research and innovation systems, emerging technology and energy and environment.

The Science and Emerging Technology (SET) group at RAND Europe conducts a wide-ranging portfolio of policy research for a diverse client base in the UK, Europe and beyond. Our work covers:

• Emerging technology policy: Analysis of the trends, applications and impacts of new and emerging technologies from artificial intelligence and biotechnology to quantum technology and virtual reality, using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods. This includes examining the societal and policy implications of technologies across sectors and a broad set of areas such as biosecurity, technology oversight, trust and ethics public engagement, and work and skills. See: https://www.rand.org/randeurope/research/science-technology-innovation/digital.html
• Research and innovation policy: Analysis of research and innovation systems including how they work and how they can be improved. This includes evaluations of portfolios of R&I, research strategy development, landscape reviews, and metascience research (including topics like scientometrics, AI in science, researcher mobility, researcher wellbeing and open science). See: https://www.rand.org/randeurope/research/science-technology-innovation/science-of-science.html
• Energy and environment policy: Energy and energy innovation, climate risk and policy, food systems and strategy, green jobs and skills, transport, and futures analysis of environment and sustainability issues. See: https://www.rand.org/randeurope/research/science-technology-innovation/environmental-sustainability-and-climate-change.html

This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the world’s most respected public policy research organisations and contribute to pioneering work at the intersection of AI and other emerging technologies.

Frontier AI is increasingly relevant to economic competitiveness, national security, public services, scientific progress and international stability. Concern over frontier capabilities have led to a large and growing body of evaluations and measurement techniques.

Yet the institutions responsible for governing its development and deployment often lack clear ways to interpret technical evidence, determine what assurance claims can be relied upon, or act when systems create risks across organisational, sectoral or national boundaries.

RAND Europe is building a Frontier AI Policy function to address this gap.

The function examines how evidence from AI testing, measurement, evaluation and monitoring becomes sufficiently credible, interpretable and context-specific to support real-world decisions. These decisions include whether systems should be developed, deployed, procured, regulated, assured, insured, constrained or coordinated internationally.

The successful candidate will contribute to research at the intersection of frontier-AI capabilities, AI safety and security, institutional design and public policy. They will work with technical researchers, policymakers, regulators, standards and assurance bodies, public procurers, industry, civil society and international partners.

The role is not limited to commentary on AI regulation, nor to technical model evaluation. It sits at the interface between them: understanding what technical evidence establishes, what uncertainty remains, who can rely on it, and what institutional action should follow.

Relevant areas of work may include

• Policy frameworks around frontier-AI measurement, testing, evaluation and assurance;
• AI safety, security, misuse and systemic-risk governance;
• regulatory capacity, public procurement and deployment governance;
• AI in critical infrastructure, financial services, public administration and other high-consequence settings;
• incident reporting, monitoring, crisis preparedness and tabletop exercises;
• standards, conformity assessment, accreditation and technical governance;
• liability, insurance and accountability across AI value chains;
• middle-power agency, international coordination, verification and strategic preparedness.

This role offers the opportunity to help shape a growing research programme at an unusually consequential moment for AI policy.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to or manage interdisciplinary projects assessing the national and international policy implications of AI advances.
• Lead or co-lead research tasks on frontier-AI governance, assurance, institutional readiness, international coordination or related topics.
• Develop research designs and grant applications using mixed methods, including literature review, interviews, document analysis, comparative policy analysis, expert elicitation, scenario analysis and workshops or tabletop exercises.
• Analyse how technical findings from AI testing, evaluation, red teaming and monitoring should inform institutional decisions.
• Support the management of relationships with external partners, collaborators and clients.
• Contribute to the development of RAND Europe’s frameworks for decision-ready evidence, AI assurance, regulatory capacity and frontier-AI preparedness.
• Represent RAND Europe in workshops, consultations, meetings and external events.
• Working with team members and the Research Group Director to develop SET’s research and strategy.
• Working in a collegiate manner and contributing to the development and profile of the wider organisation.
• Helping to raise RAND Europe’s profile and communicate research findings to maximise impact.

Requirements

• A strong interest in assessing AI capabilities, understanding AI safety and security risks, and advancing policies and frameworks for the responsible governance of AI and other high‑consequence technologies.
• The ability to engage critically with evidence from AI testing, evaluation, red teaming, monitoring or related technical work, including understanding its scope, limitations and policy relevance.
• Demonstrable experience in developing original research proposals and frameworks and seeing these through into successful publications (or other outputs)
• A background or strong familiarity with one or more of the following domains: AI safety, AI security, AI for good, AI regulation, AI assurance, legislative approaches to AI, computer engineering, science and technology policy.
• Excellent analytical, writing and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience working collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams, ideally spanning technical and policy domains.
• An awareness of the AI Governance organisational landscape, including key grantmakers and potential collaborators.
• Familiarity with AI models, machine-learning concepts or computational tools is desirable, but deep technical ML expertise is not required.
• Experience with Python, R, data analysis or other computational methods is desirable where relevant to the candidate’s research background, but not essential.
• A commitment to RAND Europe’s core values of quality, objectivity, collaboration, service and learning.

Personal qualities

• Curiosity and adaptability, with enthusiasm for working at the frontier of AI policy research.
• Motivated by the importance of frontier-AI risks and opportunities, while remaining open-minded, evidence-led and non-advocacy-driven
• Comfortable with uncertainty, able to distinguish evidence from speculation, state limitations clearly and develop useful analysis even where information is incomplete.
• Proactive and self-motivated, with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strategic thinker, capable of linking technical findings to broader policy and security implications.
• Strong communicator, able to explain complex analyses clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences.
• Collaborative and collegial, fostering a supportive team culture and sharing expertise openly.
• Commercially and policy aware, with the ability to identify emerging opportunities for impact and growth.
• Open-minded and intellectually humble, receptive to learning from colleagues across disciplines and levels of seniority.

This role will be based in RAND Europe’s Cambridge office, working alongside RAND Europe colleagues, though we have a hybrid working model with the option to work mostly from home (minimum of one day per week in the office on average, with some flexibility). There will also be some requirement to travel and spend brief periods away visiting clients on site – typically in London and Brussels though occasionally further afield.

Salary

Analyst - Starting salary from £33,000 per annum depending on experience

Senior Analyst - Starting salary from £41,000 per annum depending on experience

Benefits

• Pension - 8% Employer contribution;
• 33 days holiday allowance, including the Bank Holidays;
• Annual salary review;
• BUPA medical insurance;
• Generous company sick pay;
• Enhanced family friendly policies;
• Group income protection scheme;
• Group life assurance;
• Compassionate leave;
• Flexible working arrangements;
• Learning and development opportunities;
• Employee wellbeing training and support;
• Fresh fruit every day;
• Free on-site parking;
• Cycle to work scheme;
• Access to company bikes;
• Service awards.

Application

If you believe you are suited to the above role, please submit an application comprising of a CV and covering letter below by 8th November 2026. If you have not been contacted within 30 days of application deadline, please assume your application has not been successful.