Apply for the AIxBio Game Changers Workshop

Considering a career at the intersection of AI and biosecurity policy? Apply to this workshop to learn more about policy opportunities in biosurveillance, biodefense, and pandemic preparedness; connect with the leaders shaping decisions in DC; and discover how you can join them in making an impact.

Applications for the workshop are open until August 22. 

Co-hosted with the Brown University Pandemic Center and the Scowcroft Institute for International Affairs at Texas A&M University, the AIxBio Game Changers Workshop offers an exceptional opportunity to explore career pathways helping biosecurity policy adapt to rapid developments in AI. Whether you’re a technologist, researcher, lawyer, or recent graduate keen to make an impact, this workshop will connect you with the opportunities, networks, and insights you need to transition to working in policy and public service. 

AI systems are transforming how we detect emerging pathogens, model disease spread, and develop medical countermeasures, creating unprecedented opportunities alongside new risks. The policy decisions made in DC today — covering everything from AI-accelerated drug discovery and algorithmic disease surveillance to synthetic biology governance and biodefense applications of machine learning — will determine how these powerful technologies serve humanity for decades to come. 

But without access to talent with technical expertise, it’s easy for policymakers to get it wrong. Now more than ever, DC needs technologists, researchers, and industry experts to contribute their insights. That’s where you come in.

Program overview:

• Dates: October 24-26 (Friday-Sunday)
• Location: The National Press Building, Washington, DC
• Format: Interactive sessions with policy experts focused on policy issues and career opportunities
• Cost: All travel and accommodation expenses covered

Previous workshop speakers have included the Director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Paul Friedrichs, and Vice Chair of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, Dr. Michelle Rozo. Participants will engage with more than two dozen experts from across US departments and agencies, NGOs, and congressional offices through panels, small-group discussions, and fireside chats.

Previous workshop participants shared: 

• “I wasn’t sure that I wanted to enter a biosecurity or public health policy career, and [the workshop] was very affirming. It showed me many opportunities that I didn’t know of beforehand.” 
• “I am left feeling like my time was very well spent, and I am going home with lots of great ideas and considerations.”
• “It was great meeting more people in policy. The workshop highlighted a couple of applications I should be working on and helped me identify areas of policy that need attention. It made me more confident that my niche background would be impactful.” 

This workshop is specifically designed for professionals considering career transitions into biosecurity policy, including but not limited to the intersection with AI. No prior policy experience is expected. Whether you’re already mapping out a career shift or just beginning to consider how your expertise might contribute to policymaking in DC, this workshop will provide you with the foundation to make informed decisions about your professional future. 

Apply to attend the workshop here before August 22, 2025. Selected participants will be notified of their acceptance by October 1, 2025. The workshop will take place October 24-26, 2025.

Can’t make it to this workshop? Fill out our career support form to stay up to date on other opportunities in emerging technology policy, including Horizon’s career coaching, in-person workshops, online seminar series, fellowships, and more.

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About Horizon

The Horizon Institute for Public Service is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that helps the US government navigate our era of rapid technological change by supporting the next generation of emerging technology policy talent. In service of this mission, Horizon runs a number of programs, including workshops and events, a policy careers guide, career advising services, and a fellowship program.

About the Brown University Pandemic Center

The Pandemic Center is working to prevent, reduce vulnerabilities, and increase resilience to pandemics, other biological emergencies, and the harms they pose to health, peace, security, and prosperity. We serve as an independent and credible voice for positive disruption. We identify institutional, policy, and communication-related obstacles that are hampering preparedness, tailor programs to overcome them, and then drive action and forge collaborations to make change.

About the Scowcroft Institute for International Affairs

The Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs is a research institute housed in the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University. The Institute is named in honor of Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.), whose long and distinguished career in public service included serving as National Security Advisor for Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. The Institute’s core mission is to foster and disseminate policy-oriented research on international affairs by supporting faculty and student research, hosting international speakers and major scholarly conferences, and providing grants to outside researchers to use the holdings of the Bush Library.