#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 AI Governance and Strategy team.
Hear This Idea · Fin Moorhouse and Luca Righetti
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Show Notes
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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