The final cover for Becoming an AI Researcher, designed by the team at Cambridge University Press, is now complete and shown below. I shared the thinking behind the design — the tree, the branching paths, the different-sized outcomes — in the previous post. It’s satisfying to see that idea carried through so well into the final artwork.
I am thrilled to share that the book is now available for pre-order! You can find it on the Cambridge University Press stores (e.g. US store, UK store, Canada store, and more locations available). The book is slated to arrive in stores in November 2026.
The book and pre-order were announced in my recent keynote talk at the 4th CCF Conference on Multi-Agent Systems (CCMAS 2026) on 27 June 2026 in Suzhou, China. The conference also included a dedicated session with students to discuss PhD guidance. We had some very encouraging discussions on questions such as how to find a good research problem, how to deal with slow progress and “failures”, how to manage the relationship with the supervisor, and how to prepare for a career in academia or industry. It was clear from our conversations that students want strong, practical mentorship to navigate today’s fast-paced AI landscape, and I hope that my new book will be a helpful guide to students.
Side note: special thanks to China Machine Press for bringing copies of the Chinese edition of the Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning book. I’m sure the students at the session were very happy to receive the copies!
More updates to follow as we get closer to publication. If you’re interested in doing a PhD in AI, from choosing research problems to writing papers, surviving setbacks, and building a research career, consider subscribing to follow along.