This list is certainly profoundly not-exhaustive for me but I’d rather post this version than spend ages thinking of a better answer and ultimately not posting anything. So, here goes:
Cassidy Nelson and Gregory Lewis. When I was considering applying for my current role at the Future of Humanity Institute (FHI), the fact that they were leading the biorisk team was a pretty big consideration in favour of applying. I had some reservations about (my perceived-from-afar version of) the culture at FHI, and these two people just made me really excited about working there. Cassidy had been an incredibly smart and empathetic mentor during a fellowship I did and I really liked Gregory’s post on epistemic modesty.
Mushfiq Mobarak, of No Lean Season and Covid-19-mask-RCT fame. Based on a few in-person interactions (through my undergrad EA group), he seems to me to be what all economists should aspire for; exceptionally clear-minded and thoughtful, yet compassionate.
Paul Farmer. Mountains Beyond Mountains is a fantastic book. His approach to making the world better is pretty profoundly different from that of effective altruism, and I suspect that most readers of this Forum (myself included) would disagree pretty strongly with many or most of his principles. But I find it hard not to be inspired by his sheer level of commitment to making the world better and his unwavering insistence that every human being deserves the same rights and standards of living.
The people with whom I co-organised our undergrad student group—especially (but not limited to) Xuan, Frankie Andersen-Wood, Mojmír Stehlík, and Jessica McCurdy—who helped create an awesome, inclusive, and impactful EA community where there easily could’ve been none.
This list is certainly profoundly not-exhaustive for me but I’d rather post this version than spend ages thinking of a better answer and ultimately not posting anything. So, here goes:
Cassidy Nelson and Gregory Lewis. When I was considering applying for my current role at the Future of Humanity Institute (FHI), the fact that they were leading the biorisk team was a pretty big consideration in favour of applying. I had some reservations about (my perceived-from-afar version of) the culture at FHI, and these two people just made me really excited about working there. Cassidy had been an incredibly smart and empathetic mentor during a fellowship I did and I really liked Gregory’s post on epistemic modesty.
Mushfiq Mobarak, of No Lean Season and Covid-19-mask-RCT fame. Based on a few in-person interactions (through my undergrad EA group), he seems to me to be what all economists should aspire for; exceptionally clear-minded and thoughtful, yet compassionate.
Paul Farmer. Mountains Beyond Mountains is a fantastic book. His approach to making the world better is pretty profoundly different from that of effective altruism, and I suspect that most readers of this Forum (myself included) would disagree pretty strongly with many or most of his principles. But I find it hard not to be inspired by his sheer level of commitment to making the world better and his unwavering insistence that every human being deserves the same rights and standards of living.
The people with whom I co-organised our undergrad student group—especially (but not limited to) Xuan, Frankie Andersen-Wood, Mojmír Stehlík, and Jessica McCurdy—who helped create an awesome, inclusive, and impactful EA community where there easily could’ve been none.