Hi! I’m quite early in my career (and new to EA), as a 3rd year undergraduate completing a BA in Philosophy and Sociology. I am fairly sure that research (academic, industry or other) would be a good fit for me, and I have browsed through many lists of EA theses to consider whether I would be interested in pursuing any of them. It seems like the list that excites me most is the list here, compiled by Spencer Greenberg. I am very interested in completing a phD in either Philosophy or Psychology, with research interests in areas including moral psychology (e.g. expansion of the moral circle), life satisfaction (e.g. the measurement of happiness), or other areas within ethics, compassion and/or emotional intelligence.
I have read the page at 80000 Hours on Academic Research and will likely go down that path, but was just wondering if there are any obvious alternatives to academic research that I’ve missed, based on my research interests e.g., any EA organisations that explicitly research these areas?
I was also wondering the extent to which location affects impact i.e., whether my research/impact would be benefitted more by moving closer to circles of other EA academics (I am based in Sydney but open to relocating).
There’s much to research here myself, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask if there were any immediate pointers, and for any other general advice—thanks so much for reading and considering this!
Hi bgotyal, thanks for engaging! I don’t know how which EA orgs that do research you’ve already come across, so listing a few here in case there are any you weren’t aware of:
1. Rethink Priorities—gets commissioned to answer questions like some of those on the list you linked
2. Open Philanthropy—does research for its own cause prioritization and funding decisions. Has an internship each year (the next one will be 2026, this was the last one) for people interested in doing this kind of research
Research communication, or public intellectual type work
On location and impact
I would expect being in a research hub like Oxford would be valuable, everything else equal, but I suspect what is most needed is mentorship for early career researchers. Generally speaking, I would suggest getting as much feedback on your research as possible, ideally from someone who is already established in the field you want to be in, but you could try sharing things on this forum if not.
Testing your fit
I’d also recommend testing your fit for research before embarking on a PhD, due to the heavy time and financial commitment, and the competitiveness of academic careers. It sounds like you’re pretty set on the academic path, but it’s worth spending time really testing that before investing too heavily.
Thanks so much for this Tom! Much food for thought and it’s reassuring to receive some pointers, will definitely look into what you’ve suggested. Really appreciate it :)
Hi! I’m quite early in my career (and new to EA), as a 3rd year undergraduate completing a BA in Philosophy and Sociology. I am fairly sure that research (academic, industry or other) would be a good fit for me, and I have browsed through many lists of EA theses to consider whether I would be interested in pursuing any of them. It seems like the list that excites me most is the list here, compiled by Spencer Greenberg. I am very interested in completing a phD in either Philosophy or Psychology, with research interests in areas including moral psychology (e.g. expansion of the moral circle), life satisfaction (e.g. the measurement of happiness), or other areas within ethics, compassion and/or emotional intelligence.
I have read the page at 80000 Hours on Academic Research and will likely go down that path, but was just wondering if there are any obvious alternatives to academic research that I’ve missed, based on my research interests e.g., any EA organisations that explicitly research these areas?
I was also wondering the extent to which location affects impact i.e., whether my research/impact would be benefitted more by moving closer to circles of other EA academics (I am based in Sydney but open to relocating).
There’s much to research here myself, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask if there were any immediate pointers, and for any other general advice—thanks so much for reading and considering this!
Hi bgotyal, thanks for engaging! I don’t know how which EA orgs that do research you’ve already come across, so listing a few here in case there are any you weren’t aware of:
1. Rethink Priorities—gets commissioned to answer questions like some of those on the list you linked
2. Open Philanthropy—does research for its own cause prioritization and funding decisions. Has an internship each year (the next one will be 2026, this was the last one) for people interested in doing this kind of research
3. Forethought—focused on impacts of AGI
4. The AIM research programme is closing, but will be replaced with a fellowship
5. Happier Lives Institute looks into some of the problems it seems you’re interested in
6. Effective Thesis can help you decide on an area of research that would have impact
Research-adjacent areas you may want to consider too
Policy roles
Think tanks like CLTR or CLTR, GOV AI, RAND etc etc
Journalism
Research communication, or public intellectual type work
On location and impact
I would expect being in a research hub like Oxford would be valuable, everything else equal, but I suspect what is most needed is mentorship for early career researchers. Generally speaking, I would suggest getting as much feedback on your research as possible, ideally from someone who is already established in the field you want to be in, but you could try sharing things on this forum if not.
Testing your fit
I’d also recommend testing your fit for research before embarking on a PhD, due to the heavy time and financial commitment, and the competitiveness of academic careers. It sounds like you’re pretty set on the academic path, but it’s worth spending time really testing that before investing too heavily.
Thanks so much for this Tom! Much food for thought and it’s reassuring to receive some pointers, will definitely look into what you’ve suggested. Really appreciate it :)