Apply to the FutureHouse Fellowship Program
Applications are closed—get notified when they open.
About the program
2026 AI-for-Science Independent Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
The FutureHouse Fellowship program supports recent PhD graduates who are ready to chart their own scientific path at the intersection of AI and science. As a Fellow, you will have full access to the technologies and infrastructure we have built at FutureHouse and our for-profit spinout Edison Scientific, compute resources, our wet lab and dedicated engineering support to make new discoveries in a scientific field of your choice. Fellows are also encouraged to tap into external AI tools, agents, and ecosystems.
We are looking for independent thinkers with a clear scientific vision and the ability to lead an AI-accelerated research agenda.
What we look for
What are our expectations?
Fellows are expected to push the boundaries of AI-accelerated discovery in biology, biochemistry, and related fields. The goal of this Fellowship is to enable brilliant early career scientists to integrate AI Scientists into their research workflows, and to apply them to making discoveries. We expect Fellows to use AI tools to make significant progress towards high impact findings and publications in their fields.
We expect that applicants have a specific scientific problem they are trying to solve, and can articulate why AI is crucial for the project. For example,
- Using AI to run large-scale analyses to guide understanding of gene regulation or running thousands of analyses across large omics datasets to identify trends and patterns in a specific disease.
- Designing a protein-engineering agent for high-throughput screening workflows.
- Developing new tools—for example, an AI-enabled proteomics or metagenomics method.
What You'll Get
What Do Fellows Receive?
FutureHouse Fellows receive the resources, mentorship, and community needed to build AI systems that accelerate scientific research.
Fellowships begin in September and run through August of the following year, with the possibility of a one-year extension. Fellows spend their first month full-time in San Francisco for systems training, then transition to a flexible schedule split between FutureHouse and their co-advising lab. FutureHouse will arrange visiting scientist appointments at co-advising institutions.
Fellows will have access to FutureHouse resources, including:
- $125K annual stipend + benefits.
- Dedicated software engineering support.
- Training and instruction on building and deploying AI agents.
- Compute and research resources.
- Access to our general-purpose wet lab.
- AI research mentorship and exposure to our engineering team.
- Access to a growing AI-for-Science community of practice.
- Access to the full Edison Scientific platform including Kosmos, an AI Scientist.
Eligibility
Who Should Apply?
Applicants must have the following in order to be eligible for the Fellowship.
Either completed their Ph.D. or be on track to complete it by September 2026.
A strong background in EITHER:
Biology, neuroscience, bioengineering, biochemistry, or a related field, as well as strong quantitative skills and interest in moving into AI.
AI or machine learning as applied to science, and a strong interest in using AI and ML to tackle specific problems in biology and related fields.
A passion for our mission to automate scientific research using AI Scientists.
Independent research ability and clear vision for their research agenda.
Be able to work onsite in San Francisco for at least the first month of the Fellowship.
Directory
Potential Co-Advisors
We strongly encourage Fellows to work with one or more academic co-advisors who can support their scientific agenda. Proposed academic co-advisors must provide a support letter that confirms willingness to collaborate and to provide a visiting appointment granting access to their institution and lab.
FutureHouse maintains a directory of faculty who have expressed their interest in serving as co-advisors. The directory can be sorted by research area, helping applicants identify potential mentors whose expertise aligns with their proposed research.
Timeline
Application Timeline
2026 Applications are now closed.
Applications Open
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Applicant Webinar
Friday, January 9, 2026 at 10am PT. Access to the webinar recording can be requested by emailing fellows@futurehouse.org.
Application Deadline
Friday, February 13, 2026
Decisions Announced
April 2026
Start Date
September 2026
Yes.
Yes. We can support US visas for selected Fellows.
Yes. Each co-advisor must provide a letter of support.
Yes.
Yes, applicants may work with any co-advisor that is the best fit for their project, even if the co-advisor is not listed on our website.
Yes, Fellowships may be hosted in labs outside the US.
Your co-advisor should submit one letter that serves as a letter of support and recommendation. You must also have 2 letters of recommendation from different people.
Questions? Please email fellows@futurehouse.org
Or, sign up to be notified when we launch our next call for applications.
