Adam Mastroianni has an innovative idea for how we can train future scientists without putting them through the academic PhD meatgrinder. He wants to create small, independent research institutions (he calls them "science houses") that operate outside traditional university structures. This concept is part of Mastroianni's broader ideas for reforming the way scientific research is conducted and funded. See one of his Substack posts on the topic:
Nice! The startup I worked for got funded because our scientific founder got in a room with Bill Gates and walked out with a $10 million check. It wasn't a donation technically but non dilutatative VC from BMGF but the model can definitely work!
On my personal wishlist is for someone to make a gut bacteria probiotic that metabolizes or sequesters microplastics/PFAS to reduce amount that gets in to people. Somewhat skeptical of how bad microplastics/PFASs are for you but still think this could be useful.
Oh my God, this is so cool! I wish I could be a part of this somehow!! Like, really - I have been thinking about what I want to do with my life, and this just lights my brain up! Helping connect people with other people, cataloguing potential new leads for others to follow up on, even just the grunt work of making that stuff happen, all for the purpose of furthering a crucible of innovation and creating value in the world...
Though I don't know if I'd be of any value to this project? Like what kind of skills do you and your coworkers find yourselves relying on? I worry that my lack of a background or qualification for anything significant at all (not even a completed college degree) would hold me back if I wanted to try helping. I don't even care if I didn't get paid much at all, I have savings, if I could just be there and help even in a marginal capacity, and learn...! That would be amazing!
Love this post. Not smart enough to do or know science. I would like to use some AI software or low-paid contract workers to dub and subtitle lots of TV and movies into english, french, and hindi to facilitate language learning and nation-state formation in poor, fragmented states and membership by individuals in large and rich commercial and intellectual communities. Maybe also it would be good to subtitle them in major languages of poor countries. I would probably start with non-copyright material that is already available for free in some language. Who should I ask for advice about this? Who should I pay to do this?
Does your organization have a plan for how to deal with cranks, scammers, and other people trying to get funding for genuinely worthless ideas without ending up with the same problems that government grants have? Once you start waving money around, a lot of grifters are going to come out of the proverbial woodwork and try to game the system.
I don't mean to sound like a doomsayer or anything, and your organization does sound like something that could be very useful, but scammers and fraudsters do exist and no plan survives contact with the enemy.
we are...picky. in lots of different ways. just because i am letting randos send me emails doesn't mean many, or any, of them are necessarily getting funded.
Does RenPhil also consider support for nonprofits outside of hard science (e.g., econ or polsci work aiming to unlock new insights that could significantly affect government action)?
yes; we have existing initiatives in education and immigration. I'm personally not the ideal person to evaluate social science, but if you shoot me an email with what you have in mind I can see if it might be a good fit for someone else to look into.
Adam Mastroianni has an innovative idea for how we can train future scientists without putting them through the academic PhD meatgrinder. He wants to create small, independent research institutions (he calls them "science houses") that operate outside traditional university structures. This concept is part of Mastroianni's broader ideas for reforming the way scientific research is conducted and funded. See one of his Substack posts on the topic:
https://www.experimental-history.com/p/lets-build-a-fleet-and-change-the
He estimates that $15 million would be enough to endow a science house in perpetuity.
again, similar to the Medici call back, I get the impression that back in the day, that's closer to how actual "Science" was done. (see also: salons)
Nice! The startup I worked for got funded because our scientific founder got in a room with Bill Gates and walked out with a $10 million check. It wasn't a donation technically but non dilutatative VC from BMGF but the model can definitely work!
I will be sending you an email this evening. I apologize in advance.
Super cool!!!
On my personal wishlist is for someone to make a gut bacteria probiotic that metabolizes or sequesters microplastics/PFAS to reduce amount that gets in to people. Somewhat skeptical of how bad microplastics/PFASs are for you but still think this could be useful.
I love this!! Both the ethos of RenPhil and your role with them
This sounds very cool!
Do the ideas for initiatives come primarily from the philanthropists or from the innovators?
How do you think about selecting the right innovators for the initiative?
Oh my God, this is so cool! I wish I could be a part of this somehow!! Like, really - I have been thinking about what I want to do with my life, and this just lights my brain up! Helping connect people with other people, cataloguing potential new leads for others to follow up on, even just the grunt work of making that stuff happen, all for the purpose of furthering a crucible of innovation and creating value in the world...
Though I don't know if I'd be of any value to this project? Like what kind of skills do you and your coworkers find yourselves relying on? I worry that my lack of a background or qualification for anything significant at all (not even a completed college degree) would hold me back if I wanted to try helping. I don't even care if I didn't get paid much at all, I have savings, if I could just be there and help even in a marginal capacity, and learn...! That would be amazing!
Love this post. Not smart enough to do or know science. I would like to use some AI software or low-paid contract workers to dub and subtitle lots of TV and movies into english, french, and hindi to facilitate language learning and nation-state formation in poor, fragmented states and membership by individuals in large and rich commercial and intellectual communities. Maybe also it would be good to subtitle them in major languages of poor countries. I would probably start with non-copyright material that is already available for free in some language. Who should I ask for advice about this? Who should I pay to do this?
Love the vision!
Does your organization have a plan for how to deal with cranks, scammers, and other people trying to get funding for genuinely worthless ideas without ending up with the same problems that government grants have? Once you start waving money around, a lot of grifters are going to come out of the proverbial woodwork and try to game the system.
I don't mean to sound like a doomsayer or anything, and your organization does sound like something that could be very useful, but scammers and fraudsters do exist and no plan survives contact with the enemy.
we are...picky. in lots of different ways. just because i am letting randos send me emails doesn't mean many, or any, of them are necessarily getting funded.
So fascinating! I want that hormone sensor
Does RenPhil also consider support for nonprofits outside of hard science (e.g., econ or polsci work aiming to unlock new insights that could significantly affect government action)?
yes; we have existing initiatives in education and immigration. I'm personally not the ideal person to evaluate social science, but if you shoot me an email with what you have in mind I can see if it might be a good fit for someone else to look into.
Is the short form “RenPhil” deliberately chosen to sound so much like “RedPill”?
not at all!