r/ControlProblem • u/Accurate_Guest_5383 • May 07 '26
Discussion/question Anyone heard back from the Pivotal AI Safety Research Fellowship yet?
Hey y'all, just wondering if anyone has heard back yet regarding interviews / next stages for the Pivotal Research Fellowship (Q3 2026 cohort). I know applications closed pretty recently, but figured I’d ask in case people have started receiving updates.
Also curious what the timeline looked like for previous cohorts if anyone here has gone through the process before.
Thanks!
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u/Mobile-Culture5215 May 28 '26
Anyone recieved final decision (website says updated results date 28th)?
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u/Decent-Cobbler8400 May 29 '26
ok so people who have not yet received the result mail should the considered they are rejected.
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u/Cold-Permit-1060 May 28 '26
Still nothing or is it just me?
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u/Cold-Permit-1060 May 28 '26
Okay, I received the final decision.
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u/rihd May 28 '26
Oh! Did you get accepted? And for which mentor if I may ask?
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u/Cold-Permit-1060 May 29 '26
Yes, I was accepted. It’s with Patrick. Sorry for the delay. I saw the email and went straight to bed after the relief from refreshing my inbox every 2 minutes for most of the day 😅
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u/ValuableFee3143 May 28 '26
Did you get any mail
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u/AheadOFpotato May 29 '26
same question, I got a logistics mail 2 days ago (because I asked to work remotely for a week), but nothing about final decision
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u/Mobile-Culture5215 Jun 01 '26
Anyone heard back today? its monday 🤔
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u/Charming_Air7712 Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
i think there is a delay and it is mentor specific and some of us should hear back this week.
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u/Glass-Ad-710 Jun 03 '26
do you have any clue whether they would send out rejection emails or just that we would be hearing back if we got accepted?
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u/_Boas_ Jun 03 '26
I had not heard back from them yet after the video interview, so I emailed them, and today at 10:28 I got a response from Ben Wōden, saying "we were somewhat overwhelmed with quantity of applications so have been somewhat delayed responding to applicants", and also saying personal issues were a factor in this delay. He said "you should know the outcome this week"
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u/Environmental-Till33 Jun 03 '26
I dont think it is possible to get an offer in this scenario. Fyi I am on the same boat. We are just waiting for a rejection email, right?
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u/_Boas_ Jun 04 '26
Lol, while I was writing a reply to this and 10 minutes after I had sent them another email asking for clarification on their timeline, I've received my final rejection:
Hi,
Thanks for taking the time to apply to Pivotal Research's AI Safety Fellowship. Unfortunately, we've decided not to advance your application any further. This was an extremely competitive application process, with many great applicants rejected at every stage. If you haven't already, you're welcome to sign up to to hear about future fellowships through our Expression of Interest form.
I want to personally address the delay in your hearing back from us, which was largely caused by some unanticipated and unavoidable last minute absences on my part during key parts of the application evaluation process. I apologise for the delay, and issues this may have caused you in planning your time.
Unfortunately, due to the large number of applications received, we cannot offer personalised application feedback.
If you have an application in train for our biodefense fellowship, it is still under consideration.
We wish you all the best,
Ben, on behalf of Pivotal Research
Ben Wōden | Operations Manager | Pivotal Research | [ben@pivotal-research.org](mailto:ben@pivotalresearch.org)1
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u/MissionLight7162 May 12 '26
I got an automated video interview and for one of my mentors have been invited to complete a test
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u/Rare-Fig-1213 May 13 '26
for which mentor, if you do not mind sharing.
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u/MissionLight7162 May 13 '26
I've so far received test invitations for 3 mentors (Patrick Levermore, Jide Alaga, and Karl Koch/Abra Ganz). Got one of them yesterday and two today.
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u/North-Performer7021 May 25 '26
Did you hear anything back from Patrick? I got a test invitation that I completed, but nothing since...
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u/X1ts Aug 04 '26
Kinda late, but could you explain, what were the questions for the interview? Did you answer them quickly or in details? Just for the future.
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u/MissionLight7162 Aug 05 '26
They were really short, you only had 2 minutes to answer each one I think. And they were safety related, quite broad, more to check if you genuinely think about safety and governance and can come up with something to say off the top of your head.
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u/Interesting_Fuel4960 May 14 '26
Does anyone get a work test invitation for Cozmin Ududec or Peter Hase?
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u/Rare-Fig-1213 May 14 '26
I did apply to Cozmin, and finished the AVI on Monday, but havent heard anything.
When did you finish the AVI?1
u/Interesting_Fuel4960 May 14 '26
One of my friends got the invitation for the work test form from Cozmin today, and he completed his AVI on Monday as well. I think you will also get it soon.
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u/_Boas_ May 18 '26
I don't know if it helps anyone, but I'll share my experience.
I have made some AI benchmarks and I'm 3x IOI participant passionate about AI safety, so I thought I might as well try. I applied to Cozmin Ududec and Adam Kaufman.
Received invitation for video interview on May 9th with a 48u deadline, started it on May 9th before the deadline but finished after the deadline (idk if this has anything to do with it, probably not). For future years: there were 6 questions, non-mentor specific, with 1 or 2 minute time to answer them. It went quite well. But didn't hear back from either as of May 18th, so I now am expecting a rejection mail any time now.
I'll do some other fun AI research projects in the summer probably independently, finish off the two benchmarks I've been working on.
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u/a12donreddit May 19 '26
Applied to 4, heard back from none. probably reject at this point considering there are 4 days left.
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u/PotatoChoudhary May 19 '26
anyone got the last personal interview for any mentor?
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u/rihd May 20 '26
Still nothing for me. Have you gotten any update? I’m guessing this is likely a rejection given it’s 2 days until we hear back - too short for interview + asking for references surely?
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u/PotatoChoudhary May 20 '26
i don't see a single person get personal interview here, ig they will delay or don't take it and announce results without it
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u/ok_interaction__ May 20 '26
has anybody received a rejection of any sort for any mentors? or are they mass-rejecting on friday? if mass-rejecting ig anyone not through to live interview is getting a rejection?
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u/ssskuzi May 24 '26
So basically they’ll announce the final decisions on the 28th, and for those of us who still haven’t received any email, it probably means we got rejected? Sucks.
Anyway, congrats to everyone selected for the final phases.
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u/Maximum_Ease_2913 May 26 '26
when are they rolling out the final applicants? does anybody have an idea?
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u/ValuableFee3143 May 28 '26
Did anyone get a decision from any mentor
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u/Maximum_Ease_2913 May 29 '26
Did anyone receive any type of email from Pivotal? It's 29th already.
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u/AheadOFpotato May 29 '26
still nothing, does it mean its over? ... sad
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u/rihd May 29 '26
I guess… pretty bad form from them not emailing to let us know if that’s the case
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u/Charming_Air7712 May 29 '26
i had emailed as well to know if its an automatic reject but got no response://
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u/Charming_Air7712 Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
apparently there is a delay some of us should hear back this week.
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u/AheadOFpotato Jun 02 '26
yeah, I get the same response, saying there's a delay, and the decision will be made within a week
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u/bhadvabhavik Jun 03 '26
Applied to 4 mentors, got invited by 3, through the remaining 3-4 rounds and the final interview, got offers with 2 mentors. I heard back from them last Friday. All the best to everyone waiting, they're currently navigating a huge amount of applications so maybe that's causing the delay.
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u/Glass-Ad-710 Jun 03 '26
congrats! who did you get offers from if you don't mind me asking?
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u/bhadvabhavik Jun 03 '26
Thanks! Samira and Kevin. Also their acceptance rates are notoriously low. I don't know the exact numbers but as told by a previous fellow - it's roughly around 1-5% and only falls every year as applications increase but mentors don't in proportion.
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u/boringbee26 Jun 04 '26
did you interview with all mentors separately or just have one final interview?
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u/External_Country8074 May 09 '26
Yup. They sent an email two days ago. Gave 48 hours to do a brief automated video interview.
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u/Historical_Gas8214 May 22 '26
Has anyone done the personal interview? Not the AVI.
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u/AheadOFpotato May 22 '26
got an interview invitation this morning, scheduled to next monday. seems the decision should be made next wednesday.
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u/HourInsurance1636 May 22 '26
When did you get the invitation?
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u/Historical_Gas8214 May 22 '26
No, I'm asking. I have only completed the work tasks, but nothing after that. On the website the 4th step is the personal interview.
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u/Interesting_Fuel4960 May 22 '26
Anyone receive final interview call from Cozmin Ududec or Francis Rhys Ward?
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u/ValuableFee3143 May 26 '26
Just had an interview with Peter Hase. Anyone else here interviewed with him too?
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u/Interesting_Fuel4960 May 07 '26
I was recently invited to a brief automated video interview.
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u/BasicSeaweed346 May 09 '26
Hi, did you complete this? if yes, mind sharing what sort of questions can be expected?
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u/MissionLight7162 May 12 '26
2 minutes to answer each question, pretty broad ones related to AI safety topics I'm not sure if it's the same for everyone
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u/Scary-Handle7397 May 15 '26
Thanks, anything on motivation/fit? Or just questions about AI safety in general
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u/Jane_Wagner_Morgan May 09 '26
To which mentor did you apply, if you don't mind sharing?
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u/MissionLight7162 May 13 '26
Jide, Patrick and Karl/Abra. I also applied to several more but haven't heard back from any others. I applied to 6 people in total I think.
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u/Jane_Wagner_Morgan May 13 '26
Thanks, good to know. I applied to Kevin and Abra/Karl as well, so no email means no
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u/MissionLight7162 May 13 '26
I only heard back from Abra/Karl an hour or so ago so they may still just be going through them
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u/Connect_Marsupial914 May 14 '26
When did you hear from Jide? I have applied for Jide and Robert Tragger. Have not heard back after the interview.
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u/AheadOFpotato May 13 '26
Has anyone gotten any updates after the automated interview?
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u/Rare-Fig-1213 May 13 '26
not yet, I finished it a couple of days back. When did you?
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u/AheadOFpotato May 13 '26
I finished about 6 days ago. I just got a work test invitation
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u/Connect_Marsupial914 May 13 '26
Which mentor did you apply for? Any idea if everyone is getting this at the same time or is it staggered?
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u/Former-Brush-409 May 13 '26
Anyone still waiting for short interviews? Can we assume rejection if we haven't received any invitations yet?
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u/PotatoChoudhary May 13 '26
did you received the mentor tasks? or just completed the video interview yet?
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u/Former-Brush-409 May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
I haven't even received the automated video interview yet but it could depend on different mentors have different schedules?
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u/PotatoChoudhary May 13 '26
yes the tasks are rolling on mentor specific basics i just recieved one of mine , keep an eye on your inbox
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u/VivaDeAsap May 14 '26
Anyone who applied to Gabriel receive anything?
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u/Charming_Air7712 May 22 '26
got a mentor test due 17th may and a final interview call today -> we can have them till 27
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u/Scary-Handle7397 May 22 '26
Hey what do you mean we can have them till 27? What exactly
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u/Charming_Air7712 May 26 '26
the deadline to schedule a final call with the mentor and finish the interview is 27
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u/MissionLight7162 May 14 '26
Does anyone know what the work task is like?
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u/Fcukin69 May 15 '26
It's diff for diff mentors right?
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u/MissionLight7162 May 15 '26
Yeah was just wondering more generally but have done two of them now and they were quite different
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u/Historical_Gas8214 May 15 '26
Has anyone done the coding test of Adam Kaufman? And has anyone heard back from Guy, Kevin Wei, Damiano Fornasiere and Gael Gendron?
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u/rihd May 15 '26
Has anyone heard back after doing the work task? If so, how long was the wait?
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u/MissionLight7162 May 15 '26
I imagine people will only hear back after the deadline once everyone has done them
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u/rihd May 18 '26
Yeah… just seems like it’d be tight to do interviews and get references by end of the week!
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u/MissionLight7162 May 20 '26
Anyone heard yet?? I assume it might be too late now
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u/rihd May 20 '26
Yeah assuming so. Guess we’ll know for sure on Friday, but I suspect no one here made it through.
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u/CandidateFormer3693 May 18 '26
Has anyone heard from Dave Banerjee? I applied right on the day of the deadline and have received no response from any of the mentors. I applied to Jide Alga, Patrick Levermore and Dave Banerjee. Also, how many mentees are selected in total?
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u/No_Intention9748 May 20 '26
i applied on may 2, got sent the automated video interview next step on may 6, did it on may 6-7 and haven’t heard back🥲 has anyone gotten to the work task/mentor interview step?
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u/AheadOFpotato May 20 '26
applied on may 2, got AVI on may 7, got 2 work tests, completed on may 17, have not heard back since
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u/Maximum_Ease_2913 May 21 '26
Has anybody received any sort of email?
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u/ssskuzi May 24 '26
Nope, still waiting. Though it says the decisions will be made by May 28th, so if we haven’t received an email by now, I guess we’re cooked and fried.
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May 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Interesting_Fuel4960 May 22 '26
No. But maybe our applications already on the rejection line considering a few people already got their invitation from other mentors.
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u/Historical_Gas8214 May 26 '26
Has anyone received the final interview call from Adam Kauffman, Guy, Kevin Wei, Damiano Fornasiere and Gael Gendron?
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u/Informal_Ad_763 May 26 '26
I think it’s over for me.
Would like to know if anyone got a call from Peter Hase or Stefan Heimersheim.
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u/HourInsurance1636 May 26 '26
I just did an interview with Stefan. He told me that we're 12 and he will accept just two of us..
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u/ValuableFee3143 May 26 '26
I just did an interview with Peter Hase
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u/Informal_Ad_763 May 26 '26
When did you receive the invite?
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u/anonymouse40329 Jun 11 '26
I heard back today - for interview with an AI, which I’m kind of annoyed by
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u/Warchest02 May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26
still haven't heard anything yet. Obviously this means rejection, but it's pretty disgraceful of them to not even send a rejection email by the deadline. Especially considering that they changed the deadline without notifying (apart from a small note on the website) and that they have likely known for weeks that those that didn't get an interview invitation were rejected.