About

This blog is mostly about scientific progress, impactful science projects, and how to fund science – from basic research through clinical trials – when you have a goal in mind.

Here is some of my background, and how I like to approach questions, so you can adjust for my biases (perspectives) as you see fit:

• I manage a team of Program Officers at Open Philanthropy, covering science, global health R&D, and innovation policy. We give away around $100 million per year in grant funding, and sometimes invest in science companies.
• The people most responsible for my education in the business of scientific research and science funding are Chris Somerville and Heather Youngs. Alexander Berger, for my education in philanthropy. More recently, that science funding group has expanded to Alex Bowles, Matt Clancy, Katharine Collins, and Ray Kennedy. Much of what I write comes from discussions with them, and little is original to me.
• I believe there is wide reasonable disagreement about how best to fund research – both in what ends are valuable (pushing the frontiers of knowledge? Enabling human flourishing?) and in how to get there. I am relatively obsessed with trying to adjudicate those disagreements, but I do not mean to be glib about their depth.
• I am attracted to problems that feel out of whack, which to me means problems neglected by society relative to how big a deal they would be if solved.
• I try to give equal consideration to people's lives around the world when figuring out what constitutes a "big deal".
• I live in San Francisco and used to work in the technology industry. (Software, not biotech.) Many of my friends work in tech or are adjacent to it.
• I grew up in England. Many of my friends are British or adjacent to it.
• Writing is fun, but I have more experience reading.