#52 – Michael Aird on how to do Impact-Driven Research

Michael Aird is a senior research manager at Rethink Priorities, where he co-leads the Artificial Intelligence Governance and Strategy team alongside Amanda El-Dakhakhni. Before that, he conducted nuclear risk research for Rethink Priorities and longtermist macrostrategy research for Convergence Analysis, the Center on Long-Term Risk, and the Future of Humanity Institute, which is where we know each other from. Before that, he was a teacher and a stand up comedian.
We discuss:

Whether you should stay in academia if you want to do impactful research
How to start looking for roles at impact-driven research organisations
What simple changes can improve how you write about your research
The uses of 'reductionism' and quantitative thinking
The concept of ‘reasoning transparency’
Michael’s experience investigating nuclear security

Key links:

Michael's posts on the EA Forum
Interested in EA/longtermist research careers? Here are my top recommended resources
Don’t think, just apply! (usually)
List of EA funding opportunities
Rethink Priorities
Reasoning Transparency
A central directory for open research questions

You can find more links, and read the full transcript, in this episode's write-up: hearthisidea.com/episodes/aird.
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