Chief of Staff Intern

FairwAI is building real-time fairness infrastructure—systems that detect bias in the real world: hospitals, travel, and McDonald's. You will work with a multi-disciplinary team from MIT, Harvard, and Industry We’re growing fast across technical and operational workstreams, with 20+ interns across NLP, Computer Vision, Design, and Compliance. But speed without structure breaks things. We’re hiring a Chief of Staff Intern to operate as the founder’s right hand: triaging priorities, holding systems together, and protecting momentum as we build a next-gen accountability platform. What You’ll Do Run internal syncs: own agendas, notes, and follow-through Track intern deliverables, demo deadlines, and weekly reporting Triage founder time and attention—what’s urgent, what’s noise, what’s missing Keep key documents, trackers, and folders up-to-date across teams Coordinate across Computer Vision, NLP, Legal, and Industrial Design groups Help architect internal systems: onboarding flows, intern reviews, weekly ops rhythm Flag issues early and build quiet systems that make everything run smoother You Might Be a Fit If… You’ve led a team, lab, org, or publication—and delivered under pressure You’re calm in chaos, proactive by default, and allergic to dropped balls You know how to make structure feel lightweight, not bureaucratic You think in systems, communicate clearly, and get people unstuck You’re organized without being rigid, and trusted without needing to ask You’re motivated by real-world impact, not just résumé lines Bonus (Not Required) Prior experience supporting a founder, lab director, or product lead Familiarity with Notion, Slack, Google Docs, or light project management tools Interest in AI ethics, compliance tech, or public sector systems What You’ll Leave With By the end of this internship, you’ll have helped build and run the internal operating system that keeps a 20+ person cross-functional team aligned across legal, engineering, and institutional pilots. Your fingerprints will be on the processes that support fairness infrastructure for real-world deployment. Application Notes Please apply directly through Wellfound. We’re not assigning external homework, but we are evaluating for clarity, judgment, and action bias. A clear, concise intro message is more valuable than a bloated résumé. Finalists may be asked to walk through a live prioritization challenge during interviews. You will work with a multi-disciplinary team from MIT, Harvard, and Industry: Dr. John Cooley – Technical Advisor Role: Leads FairwAI’s technical architecture, AI compliance engine, and research partnerships. Bio: Dr. John Cooley is a renowned technologist and serial entrepreneur who holds five degrees from MIT: B.S. in Electrical Engineering, B.S. in Physics, M.S. in Electrical Engineering, an Engineer’s Degree, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. He earned the David Adler Memorial Thesis Prize and the Morris Joseph Levin Award, recognizing his groundbreaking work in engineering and systems design. John was the CTO and later CEO of Nanoramic Laboratories, where he led the company to raise $100+ in capital and developed cutting-edge battery and nanotechnology solutions. With 15+ years of experience at the frontier of hardware-software integration and AI systems, John brings a rare blend of research rigor and venture-scale execution. He now advises FairwAI on tech architecture, compliance logic, and academic research integration across MIT and international institutions. Dr. Ryan Chin – Strategic Advisor, Urban Tech & Mobility Systems Role: Ryan advises FairwAI on systems architecture, urban integration, and commercial strategy. He brings expertise in AI-driven mobility, sensor networks, and resilient infrastructure to inform how FairwAI scales across physical environments like hotels, hospitals, and cities. Bio: Dr. Ryan Chin is a globally recognized expert in smart cities, urban mobility, and sustainable design systems. He co-founded Optimus Ride, a leading autonomous vehicle company spun out of MIT, where he served as CEO and led the development of self-driving tech for campuses, cities, and business districts. Prior to that, Ryan was Managing Director of the City Science Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, where he pioneered AI-integrated mobility systems and urban computing platforms. Ryan holds a Ph.D. and two Master's degrees from MIT in Media Arts and Sciences and Architecture. A serial entrepreneur and systems thinker, Ryan has advised Fortune 100 companies, U.S. government agencies, and international city governments on emerging technologies, sustainability, and mobility innovation. He is a frequent keynote speaker at Davos, Smart City Expo, and the UN. At FairwAI, Ryan supports us with building out our advisory team and the integration of computer vision, IoT, and AI fairness protocols into real-world infrastructure, ensuring our platform is adaptable, sensor-compatible, and aligned with the future of ethical urban technology. Mike Rinella – Government Affairs & Financial Strategy Role: Shapes FairwAI’s public policy strategy, unions to get ivolved, government, and compliance market integration. Bio: Mike Rinella brings decades of experience in public finance, state governance, and strategic planning. He served as a senior advisor to two Governors of New York, including Governor Mario Cuomo, where he worked on economic development, energy regulation, and state-level policy reform. He was also Director of Strategic Planning at SolarFi, helping guide federal partnerships and compliance infrastructure for renewable energy deployments. A graduate of Harvard Kennedy School (’86), Mike is instrumental in crafting FairwAI’s pathways to adoption by Attorneys General, state legislatures, and procurement agencies. He also helps navigate our positioning with foundation-aligned capital like PRIs and MRIs. Carson Smuts – IoT &Hardware Integration Advisor (MIT Media Lab) Role: Advises on spatial sensing, IoT systems, and architecture for real-world monitoring. Bio: Carson Smuts is a Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Media Lab’s City Science Group, where he has spent over a decade developing sensor platforms, digital twins, and hardware systems that interact with real-world environments. He co-created the CityScope urban simulation platform and led the design of MIT’s Environmental Sensing Infrastructure, a foundational piece of the lab’s smart city research. Trained as an architect at Columbia University, Carson transitioned into full-stack engineering with a passion for embedding fairness into built environments. He guides FairwAI’s integration with CCTV, IoT sensors, and spatial computing to power real-time bias detection in travel, healthcare, and hiring. The role is Unpaid, but eligible for school credit, Coop, and includes mentorship, reference, and portfolio support. The goal is to turn this into a paid role but it is not promised. Fellows will recieve a certificate. Apply To This Job