This project will map the global governance landscape for AI-enabled biological threat detection tools and identify where existing standards fall short. Mentees will help analyze key actors, assess governance gaps, and develop a practical framework for evaluating the safety, transparency, and responsible deployment of these systems. The final output will include actionable policy recommendations to strengthen international oversight at the AI–bio interface.
About the project
As advances in AI accelerate, a growing ecosystem of AI-enabled tools—including those used in sequence screening, biosurveillance, and biological threat assessment—is rapidly emerging. However, global governance mechanisms have not kept pace. Nations, institutions, and private developers lack shared standards for evaluating the safety, equity, and responsible deployment of AI systems relevant to biological risk. This project aims to address this gap by developing a global governance mapping and policy framework that identifies key actors, evaluates existing mechanisms, and proposes actionable pathways for responsible oversight of AI tools used in biological threat detection.
Project Goals
- Create a global landscape analysis of AI-enabled systems relevant to biological threat detection (e.g., sequence screening, anomaly detection, biosurveillance analytics).
- Identify governance gaps across international, national, and non-state actors.
- Develop a practical evaluation framework for assessing safety, transparency, and governance readiness of such tools (fully non-technical).
- Propose actionable policy recommendations for cross-border coordination and responsible deployment.
Why This Matters AI–bio convergence presents transformative benefits but also new governance challenges. Funders, institutions, and policymakers need clarity on the emerging ecosystem and on how to responsibly integrate these tools into global biological threat prevention. This research directly supports that need by delivering a structured, actionable governance roadmap.
Theory of change
This project advances AI safety by improving global governance around AI-enabled biological threat detection—an area where rapid technological progress has outpaced oversight. By mapping key actors, identifying governance gaps, and developing a practical framework for evaluating the safety, transparency, and responsible deployment of AI systems used in biological risk assessment, the project strengthens society’s ability to manage AI–bio convergence risks. This work helps ensure that as transformative AI systems become more capable, they are integrated into biosurveillance and threat-detection contexts in ways that minimize misuse, reduce uncertainty, and promote cross-border accountability. In doing so, the project contributes to the broader AI safety ecosystem by clarifying what responsible governance should look like at one of the most consequential interfaces between AI and the real world.
Your role
Mentees will support core research tasks, including landscape mapping, literature review, data collection from public sources, and drafting sections of the gap analysis, evaluation framework, and final policy outputs. They will have substantial autonomy to choose specific regions, institutions, or sub-questions to focus on, while receiving structured guidance and regular feedback to refine their analyses.
Prerequisites
Basic Biotech, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, AI knowledge. Policy/Governance experience is a plus.
Time commitment
3-4 hrs/week.
Location preference
US EST; Weekdays: 8 am-10 am; Monday and Friday: 5 pm-7 pm; Saturday: 9 am- 11 am; I am flexible too.
Application question(s)
- Choose one existing AI-enabled tool used in biosurveillance, anomaly detection, or sequence screening. Briefly describe what you think its biggest governance challenge is and why. Provide a link to your source. (200 words)
- Select an international organization (e.g., WHO, OECD, African CDC, PAHO) and explain one role it should play in governing AI-enabled biological threat detection tools. Make your case using reasoning, not summaries. (150 words)
- Provide a link to one writing sample that demonstrates your ability to synthesize information or analyze policy, white paper is also accepted. (Required)
About the mentor
Aparupa Sengupta
Nuclear Threat Initiaitive (NTI|bio) Global Biological Policy and Programs
View profileDr. Aparupa Sengupta is a scientist and global life science and technology policy expert specializing biosafety, security, and responsible bio-innovation & governance. Currently, she serves as a Senior Program Officer/Scientist at NTI | bio- based out of Washington, DC, where she leads the Biosecurity Innovation and Risk Reduction Initiative—a portfolio focused on preventing biotechnology-driven catastrophes, particularly those emerging from AI–bio convergence. Before NTI, she served as the biosafety and biosecurity officer and Director of High Containment Research Laboratories at the University of California, Merced, earning the COVID-19 Hero Award for her leadership and service during the pandemic. Aparupa holds a PhD in biological sciences, master's degrees in molecular genetics/biotechnology and biotechnology, and professional certification as a Registered Biosafety Professional. Originally from India, she is a sought-after speaker on global biological threat reduction and is deeply committed to fostering responsible innovation, strengthening safety–security integration, and elevating global south perspectives in the future of biotechnology. She looks forward to supporting mentees who are eager to build impactful, thoughtful careers in biosecurity, specifically in the tech-enabled responsible biotech innovation and governance.