Bull Moose Project Inc Research Fellow, Intelligence and Emerging Technology Washington, DC · Contractor Company website

Apply for Research Fellow, Intelligence and Emerging Technology

The Bull Moose Project is a populist-right policy and advocacy organization working to build the intellectual and institutional foundation for a new American century, drawing on the Square Deal tradition of Theodore Roosevelt. Its affiliated 501(c)(3), the Bull Moose Institute, conducts the research and educational work that supports that mission.

The Bull Moose Institute and the Bull Moose Project are building the policy capacity of the populist right, fighting for a Dominant American Future where hard work is rewarded and the country's economic and industrial power works for Main Street rather than Wall Street.

The Research Fellow, Intelligence and Emerging Technology reports to the Policy Director and leads Bull Moose's work on artificial intelligence in the intelligence and homeland defense enterprise. 

This role produces published research and policy analysis, serves as a public voice for the organization in conservative media, and supports congressional briefings on Capitol Hill. The position is part-time and term-limited, running September 2026 through February 2027.

Responsibilities.

• Lead research and development of policy recommendations on AI adoption across the intelligence community and federal law enforcement, including NDAA provisions, procurement reform, and oversight design.
• Author a major research paper and a series of short-form pieces published under Bull Moose's imprint.
• Serve as a public voice through placed op-eds, on-camera video, podcasts, and press interviews.
• Coordinate with the policy and government affairs team on federal advocacy, preparing materials, and serving as subject-matter expert for briefings with congressional and agency staff.
• Speak at events, including briefings, panels, and conferences.
• Review video scripts, op-ed drafts, and coalition language for technical accuracy.

Areas of Focus.

The Fellow will shape specific lines of inquiry in consultation with the Policy Director. Our priorities:

• Peer Adversaries and the AI Gap. Our peer competitors have embedded AI across their intelligence and influence apparatus. What has America actually done, does a gap exist, and what must the intelligence community do to close it?
• State Capacity and Guardrails. What procurement, oversight, and legal reforms would let agencies adopt AI faster than the speed of the threat, while giving skeptics credible and durable protections against abuse?
• The Digital Underworld. Transnational criminal organizations use encrypted platforms, cryptocurrency, and commercial networks to move drugs, money, and people undetected. What tools would give investigators a realistic chance of dismantling those networks?
• Trafficking, Terror Finance, and the Anonymity Problem. Human trafficking and terror financing both depend on blending into legitimate digital traffic. Where does current capability fail to keep pace, and which AI applications close that gap fastest?
• From Cyber to Kinetic. Unseen cyber operations increasingly produce physical consequences, from compromised infrastructure to blackmail. How should AI tools be used to accelerate targeting and support kinetic operations?
• HUMINT in the Digital Underground. Infiltrating encrypted channels has become the modern equivalent of running a source. How do AI tools change that tradecraft where criminals organize over voice channels and gaming platforms?

Qualifications.

• 2+ years of experience in national security policy, intelligence, defense, or empirical research, including work in government, a university, an NGO, or the private sector.
• Demonstrated familiarity with machine learning systems and their operational limits through academic, professional, or applied experience.
• Interest in intelligence reform, emerging technology policy, homeland defense, or transnational criminal networks.
• Experience in policy research and federal advocacy.
• Strong preference for experience inside the intelligence community, the Department of Defense, federal law enforcement, or a congressional national security committee (HASC, SASC, HPSCI, SSCI).
• Ability to research, analyze, and develop policy solutions, build relationships, and communicate effectively.
• Comfort making the case for American technological strength from a populist-right rather than a libertarian premise.
• Ability to be in Washington for events and congressional briefings.

Compensation & Benefits.

• $10,000 to $20,000 over the six-month term, dependent on experience.
• Editorial, design, and video production support for all published work, and media placement and booking support with conservative outlets and podcasts.
• Reimbursement for Institute events and Washington meetings.
• Public affiliation with Bull Moose and the title of Fellow thereafter.
• Part-time and structured around the program calendar. Concurrent employment is welcome, subject to disclosure of any conflicts.

In lieu of a cover letter, please submit a brief (250–400 words) reflection on Theodore Roosevelt's "The New Nationalism" speech, along with a résumé.

Note to Applicants.

This is a contract engagement and does not constitute employment. At the time of applying, you must be authorized to work in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time. Applicants currently employed elsewhere should confirm that outside work and publication are permissible under their employer's rules before applying.