Joshua Turner

Experience

• 

  Grinnell College

  Jun 2020 - Aug 2020

  Mentored Advanced Project Student Researcher

  • Co‑developed a software package for representing, generating, and analyzing higher‑order networks in consultation with Dr. Nicole Eikmeier• Reviewed literature on higher‑order network analysis, implemented four papers• Self‑taught enough network science to read papers on the cutting‑edge within two weeks• Presented work at Midstates Consortium Research Symposium (November 2020)

• 

  Tutor.com

  Aug 2020 - Jan 2021

  Mathematics Tutor

  • Conducted hour‑long online sessions helping students with homework problems• Provided intuitive explanations of important mathematical concepts like the chain rule, continuity, and integration by parts• Student Comments: “Amazing tutor and great at explaining concepts!”, “He’s really amazing and patient. Best tutor I’ve ever worked with.”

• 

  University of Maryland

  Jun 2021 - Aug 2021

  NSF REU Student Researcher

  • Quantified a truth estimation algorithm’s worst‑case robustness against adversarial misinformation• Studied the performance of various adversarial strategies against this algorithm• Found a necessary and sufficient condition for perfect estimation given enough samples

• 

  TheCoderSchool

  Mar 2023 - Jun 2023

  Code Coach

  • Taught computer programming to 7‑ to 18‑year‑olds by assisting them with self‑selected projects in Scratch, Python, and JavaScript• Helped them understand core technical concepts in coding including loops, conditionals, and functions

• 

  ML Alignment & Theory Scholars

  Jun 2023 - Jun 2023

  Research Scholar - Training Phase

  • Learned about cutting‑edge concepts and frameworks in AI safety research by reading academic papers, scholarly blog posts, and discussions with fellow scholars, with a focus on power‑seeking behavior in large language models• Culminated in research sprint, in which I empirically studied the effects of various prompts on preferences of ChatGPT for plans that involve gaining power, acquiring resources, and manipulating others• Mentored by Google DeepMind Research Scientist Victoria Krakovna Show less

• 

  The Brookings Institution

  Jan 2024 - now

  • Collaborating with the CTI team and external experts to establish Brookings’ AI Equity Lab, including research and writing for the inaugural paper• Co‑editing CTI’s TechTank blog, working with senior staff to ensure high‑quality content on technology policy• Providing comprehensive research and writing support to Director Nicol Turner Lee, Visiting Fellow Cam Kerry, and other scholars, facilitating the production of research papers, blog posts, and presentations on emerging technology issues Show less • Worked with CTI Director Dr. Nicol Turner Lee and others to produce written outputs on AI and technology policy through research, drafting, and editing. Examples include an accepted journal article, a report to the CFTC, and testimony to a committee hearing on the Biden AI EO.• Wrote a commentary for the Brookings website on the potential for California to fill the federal void on AI regulation• Took initiative to give talk to Brookings staff on how large language models work and how these technical details are relevant for policy• Tracked updates on federal and state AI legislation, as well as global AI & policy developments more broadly• Assembled a weekly news roundup for the Center on technology policy developments Show less

  • Project Assistant, Center for Technology Innovation

    Jun 2024 - now

  • Research Intern, Center for Technology Innovation

    Jan 2024 - May 2024
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  Supervised Program for Alignment Research

  Jun 2024 - now

  Researcher

  • Contributing to a research paper on regulatory safeguards for multi‑agent AI failures• Developing potential policy approaches, drawing insights from risk management precedents in diverse fields from finance to energy