Applications for Cohort 1 of the KAISH Introduction Program close 15/10/2026, 23:59 Erbil time.

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ناوەندی کوردستان بۆ سەلامەتیی زیرەکیی دەستکردKurdistan AI Safety Hub
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Help build AI safety research in Kurdistan

We’re recruiting the people who will teach, mentor and run our first cohort. If you understand machine learning or AI safety well enough to help someone else learn it, or you’re the organizer who makes programs run on time, we want to hear from you.

Rolling applications Cohort 1 roles close Unkown Replies within 30 days
Apply to join the team See open roles

Why join

Build something from the start

You’ll shape the first AI safety institution in the Kurdistan Region: its curriculum, its culture and its standards.

Learn by teaching

Explaining attention or activation patching to a sharp student is the fastest way to understand it yourself.

Join an international field

We introduce our team to researchers and programs abroad and support you in applying to them.

Be treated fairly

Roles are part-time and Voluntary. Every staff member receives training, materials and a written reference at the end of the cohort.

How we work

All roles are part-time, mostly in evenings and at weekends. Most can be done remotely, apart from in-person sessions in Erbil. We work in English and switch to Kurdish or Arabic whenever that helps. We value rigour, kindness, reliability, and saying “I don’t know” when it’s true.

Open roles · 3

Course Facilitator / Teaching Assistant

One session a week, plus preparation12-week cohort plus one week of trainingIn person in Erbil or onlineVoluntary

What you’ll do

  • Lead a weekly discussion session for a group of 6 to 10 participants.
  • Open each session with a short introduction, keep the conversation moving, and make sure everyone is heard.
  • Run the practical sessions in the professional and career weeks: short talks, CV reviews and practice interviews.
  • Answer participant questions within 48 hours.
  • Notice who is falling behind and act early.
  • Join a 30-minute weekly facilitator meeting to compare notes and improve the material.

You might be a good fit if you

  • Understand the main ideas and debates in AI safety, from an introductory course or your own reading.
  • Can explain a complex idea simply, and enjoy helping others think for themselves.
  • Have some experience of the working world, mentoring or careers advice.
  • Prefer asking good questions to lecturing.

Not required: a PhD, publications, teaching experience or a technical background.

We provide: facilitator training and a session guide for every week.

Research and Reading Group Lead

3 to 5 hours a weekAt least one 12-week termFully remote possibleVoluntary

What you’ll do

  • Choose the papers for a weekly or fortnightly reading group in one area: interpretability, evaluations, scalable oversight, robustness or governance.
  • Write a one-page reading guide for each paper.
  • Lead 90-minute discussions that leave participants able to explain what a paper shows and what it doesn’t.
  • Scope small research projects, and mentor interested participants from the program.
  • Keep your area of the reading library current.

You might be a good fit if you

  • Have research experience in machine learning or a related field: a thesis, a paper, a preprint, or a serious independent project.
  • Have read deeply in at least one AI safety research area.
  • Can turn a dense paper into a clear discussion.

Especially welcome: graduate students and researchers in the Kurdish diaspora who want to support the field at home. This role works fully online.

Operations and Community Manager

8 to 10 hours a week, more during application roundsOngoingBased in Erbil, partly remoteVoluntary

What you’ll do

  • Run the application process: forms, reviewer scheduling, interviews and every message to applicants.
  • Manage cohort logistics: venue, timetable, attendance, the online section and participant support.
  • Reach students through universities, lecturers and student societies across the Kurdistan Region.
  • Maintain the website, mailing list and social channels.
  • Track applications, attendance and completion, and help write the public end-of-cohort report.
  • Organise the launch event, special events and the closing session.

You might be a good fit if you

  • Have organised events, a student society or a program, and seen it through.
  • Write clearly in English and Kurdish; Arabic is a plus.
  • Are at home with tools like Google Workspace, Notion or Airtable.
  • Follow through on every loose end without being chased.

Not required: a technical background in AI. Curiosity about it is.

Other ways to contribute

Not looking for a regular role? We also welcome guest talks (one hour, online or in Erbil), career mentoring (about one hour a fortnight for six weeks) and program review. Apply through the same form and choose “Other contribution”.

Hiring process

  1. Apply

    Through the form, in 15 to 25 minutes.

  2. A 30-minute conversation

    With a member of the founding team.

  3. A short practical step

    Facilitators explain one concept in a 15-minute mock session; reading group leads talk us through a paper; operations candidates complete a small planning task.

  4. Decision

    Within 30 days of applying.

Equal opportunity

We welcome applicants of every gender, background, religion and ethnicity, and from every part of Kurdistan and the diaspora. If you need any adjustment to our process, tell us in your application and we’ll make it.

Ready to help build the Hub?

Apply to join the team

Questions about a role? Email kurdistanaisafetyhub@gmail.com.

Stay in touch

Occasional emails about application rounds, reading groups and public talks. A few messages a term. We never share your address.