@alexeyguzey - .@JacobTref runs the science program at Open Philanthropy

.@JacobTref runs the science program at Open Philanthropy, directing about $100m/year in philanthropic funding. For @newscienceorg, we ended up talking about academia, peer review, grant-making; and also about love, the meaning of life, and our personal histories. Enjoy! Timestamps 0:00:00 - Introduction 0:01:11 - On Open Philanthropy's decision process 0:06:48 - Is it possible to make expected value calculations for basic scientific research? 0:16:27 - Non-profit funding vs for-profit funding 0:17:19 - Why the NIH rejects grants 0:19:39 - Jacob's "PhD" working side-by-side with biochemists for 5 years 0:25:22 - Today's system of federal funding are not supporting generalists 0:28:34 - How will AI affect the pace of scientific progress? 0:41:53 - AI Baumol Disease 0:54:41 - Can AI speed up aging research? 0:58:20 - The wisest people Jacob & Alexey know 1:13:31 - The future of science in academia 1:19:26 - How Open Philanthropy uses neglectedness to make funding trade-offs 1:35:16 - Jacob's advice for a talented 20 year old watching this 1:45:24 - Jacob's favorite joke