High Hopes

Dear Ms. Jamison,

Thank you for your application to the Doctoral Programme in Astrophysics and Computer Science. While your proposal, The Design and Construction of an Interstellar Capable Machine Intelligence, is thought-provoking, the selection committee has determined that it does not align with the department’s current research priorities.

Given the speculative nature of your project and the resources we believe it would require, we regret to inform you that we are unable to support your candidacy at this time. We encourage you to explore alternative avenues for your research and wish you the best in your academic endeavours.

Sincerely,

Dr. Hugh Ainsworth

Director of Graduate Admissions

Dear Ms. Jamison,

We appreciate your interest in pursuing doctoral studies at Cambridge and acknowledge the originality of your proposed research, Interstellar Societies of Mind. After careful review, the committee has concluded that your project does not align with our institutional focus on demonstrable, peer-validated methodologies and practical applications in the field.

Additionally, the ethical and technical considerations surrounding artificial intelligence in general give us legal concerns we do not believe your proposal has fully explored. Given these factors, we must decline your application at this time.

We thank you for your submission and wish you success in your future research.

Best regards,

Prof. Emily Harcourt

Graduate Admissions Committee

Dear Ms. Jamison,

Thank you for your application to King’s College London. We found your research proposal, Simulations that Simulate Themselves: How to Explore the Universe Before Leaving the Earth, engaging, but after careful consideration, we are unable to proceed with your candidacy.

The selection panel raised concerns regarding the interdisciplinarity of your project, which does not fit within the structured research themes supported by the university. Additionally, given the increasing institutional focus on projects that promote diversity and demonstrable societal impact, we are prioritising proposals with clearer, immediate-term practical outcomes.

We appreciate the effort you put into your application and wish you all the best in your future studies.

Kind regards,

Dr. Mark Ellison

Doctoral Admissions Office

Dear Ms. Jamison,

We are pleased to inform you that your application for doctoral study at Trinity College Dublin has been accepted. Your proposed research, The Use of Natural Selection in the Design and Construction of an Interstellar Capable Machine Intelligence, aligns with our commitment to interdisciplinary exploration of physics, mathematics, simulated evolution, and machine learning.

We applaud the ambitious focus of your project and we are excited by its potential to expand the frontiers of knowledge. We encourage you to collaborate with our faculty across multiple departments and leverage our research networks.

Details regarding funding, oversight, and next steps will be provided in the coming weeks. We look forward to welcoming you to Trinity and supporting your academic journey.

Congratulations once again!

Best regards,

Professor Daniel O’Connell

Director of Graduate Studies

Trinity College Dublin