Abstract

How can we identify areas where extra research is particularly valuable?

What can you do to maximise the positive impact of a research career?

The Global Priorities Project helps decision-makers effectively prioritise ways to go good. As such, they form a bridge between the effective altruism community and major institutions. Decision-makers are increasingly good at comparing the effectiveness of similar programmes. However, they often feel unable to weigh up benefits that are very different from each other – like youth programmes and research into cancer treatments. Differences between these types of benefits can be very large, and a better understanding of their relative weight would have a big effect on spending priorities. Where we identify these differences, it can suggest specific policy changes.

Dr. Owen Cotton-Barratt researches for the Global Priorities Project and is a research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute. He teaches at the University of Oxford and has research experience in pure mathematics, voting theory, artificial intelligence, and moral uncertainty. He will be giving a short presentation of on his project and the idea of high-impact research. Please join us on the 19th of November for Owen’s talk which will be followed by refreshments and snacks.