Open thread: 2025 Q4 (October - December)

Hello everyone! My name is Shen, and I'm a philosophy and computer science graduate. I completed my BA in Philosophy and Classics at St. John's College, Annapolis MD, and my BSc. in Computer Science at the University of London. Now I'm pursuing a MSc. in Applied and Computational Mathematics. I currently work as a researcher at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

I'm interested in Effective Altruism, because of the community's contributions to public health, particularly in the form of effective health interventions. I'm always excited about ways to help improve global health outcomes, and I'm keen to learn more about the EA community and it's philosophy of "doing good better."

I'm not quite formally acquainted with the EA philosophy, but I hope to learn more about it with time. I've already enjoyed reading through the EA Forum and it's topics on RCTs and public health/global development interventions, and I hope to learn more as time goes on!

Hi everyone,

I'm Cornelius (24M, he/him), living in Jakarta, the capital of one of the world's most populous nation, Indonesia.

I'm getting ready to start my Masters' in Public Policy & Management at Monash University, Indonesia Campus, with my mind set on focusing upon Higher Education Policy in Indonesia, a field highly contested yet rarely researched nor evaluated.

Previously, I did a Bachelors' in Anthropology, mostly focusing in on Public Health issues, including doing a 6-month traineeship with UNAIDS in Indonesia, and did a 1-year fellowship with Tanoto Foundation in North Sumatra to support their implementation of early to middle-school education interventions.

I'm here as I have decided to work on an EA-aligned career and away from more harmful roles such as advertising for cigarette companies (which I regrettably did during one of my undergrad internships).

Oh and I also did attend the EAGxSingapore just last week, so hiiii again if we did meet last week!

Let's connect and see what kind of impact we could make together!

Linkedin

Hei all -- I'm a New Mexico boy (can I still be a boy, though, at 58?) who lost his way and ended up living in Finland. I've got 3 adult children, and 2 young ones (6 and 3). Have been influential in the juniors ultimate scene in Finland, and done a fair bit of community theater. Love sci-fi. Have a passion for languages.

My expertise is computer programming (most recently w/React), but my interests (see above) and other talents are kinda all over the place. Been trying for quite some time to figure out how I can best be of use to the world in general, and so far my best efforts were perhaps during the years that I founded and ran a computer recycling/repair shop that focused on open source advocacy.

I'm in the unfortunate position of still not knowing what I want to do with my life, but do know I want to make a real difference. My talents, as I said, being all over the place, also means that there's no one, clear path for me to follow. I'm starting the Introductory EA course next week and hoping that will give me some insight and ideas. I'm more than happy to connect with others, please give me a shout.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvinsonbrown

I think that social movements are most effective when they have face-to-face interactions, which build solidarity, facilitate discussion, and prevent value drift (as well as reducing burnout and increasing subjective well-being). However, outside of EAGs I don’t see many opportunities to socialise with other EAs in London. This is despite London being the second largest EA city after SF (or so I’ve been told). Am I missing something?

Hello everyone. I am Vinay Kalva, and I live in Rockville, Maryland (northwest of Washington, D.C.). I am an undergraduate sophomore at Johns Hopkins University studying public health and political science, and I want to become a physician (although I'm thinking about alternatives as well). 

I want to participate in the forum because I see that I can engage well on many of the key cause areas, especially with regards to global health. I haven't engaged much with EA previously, although I have read the 80000 Hours Career Guide and will be taking the "Introduction to Effective Altruism" course offered next month. I also want to find out alternative career options where I can make a high impact directly.

If you would like to reach out, please see my Linkedin here.

Hi everyone = ). 

My name is William, and I (26M, he/him) first became interested in EA after working through 80,000 Hours' online materials in 2023. It got me thinking about where and how I could have the greatest marginal impact. At the time, I resolved to set up regular donations to Against Malaria after being stunned by the measurable impact they could have per dollar received (i.e., the simplicity of expanding access to low cost, proven health interventions). 

I'm now focused on steering my career toward EA-aligned research and roles, particularly in catastrophic risk reduction and AI policy. I plan to apply for a master's degree at Oxbridge in 2026, hoping to engage with the research ecosystem there (FHI, GPI, CSER).

My background is in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE), and I've spent five years in strategy consulting where I've worked on projects ranging from AI supply chain strategy to public sector operating models.

While I'll continue applying for formal roles, I'm eager to start contributing directly. I'm looking for part-time, pro-bono opportunities where I can provide concrete support. 

Things I might be able to help with:

· Researching and drafting policy or strategy memos on AI governance, biosecurity, or geopolitics.

· Conducting stakeholder mapping or competitive landscape analysis for a new project or organization.

· Supporting operational or strategic planning for a small NGO or research team

· Launching an Australia-based initiative or local group

If you're working on something that could use a bit of strategic thinking or policy analysis, I'd be thrilled to chat. I've applied to a few formal EA roles without luck, so I'm hoping this direct approach might connect me with someone who needs an extra pair of hands.

Feel free to message me directly or you can find me on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamtopping

Hello everyone, I’m Yordanka Ramos.
I’m an educator, cultural strategist, and researcher in human development, currently based in Montreal. I was born in Cuba and trained in special education — a field that taught me to see each individual not as a case to be solved, but as a constellation of potential waiting to be cultivated through empathy, structure, and imagination.

My path toward Effective Altruism emerged naturally from years of work designing cultural and educational projects that sought not only to uplift communities but to measure their real impact. I’m particularly focused on education equity, neurodiversity inclusion, mental health, and regenerative cultural development as long-term levers for societal transformation.

At present, I’m developing initiatives that connect Canada and Cuba through cultural diplomacy, humanitarian collaboration, and what I call regenerative altruism — a model that unites beauty, ethics, and evidence-based impact. My academic curiosity is rooted in the psychology of compassion, systems thinking, and the intersection between creativity and moral action.

Outside of research and project design, I find joy in composing at the piano, reading philosophy and poetry, and walking through nature — where I often rediscover the balance between intellect and intuition that fuels all meaningful work.

I’m honored to join this community of thoughtful people who not only ask what is good? but also how can good be done well? May our collective thinking become a practice of quiet, measurable hope.

Hi everyone! My name is Sophia, I'm taking a break from two years of undergraduate education characterized by rapid, (over)exploratory, and intense technical and scientific knowledge acquisition to work for a bit while still learning on the side. 

(too much technology, imo, for very limited human)

I took a detour into the small business advertising world for a month, spent some time volunteering at a local humane society, worked as a camp counselor for a summer, and gained some exposure to the local agricultural and farming community. In the past I've spent some time contributing to a web development education initiative and I've worked on an independent/freelance website design project too. 

I like to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of nature, and I am currently learning how to sew. 

I am taking a step back from a technically focused and incomplete undergraduate journey to recognize the heavy historical and social considerations that I now feel the need to understand better before even considering choosing to advance innovation beyond natural human boundaries. 

I think it is important to recognize and respect the positive attributes of tradition that support long term human and community health and wellness and help carry those forward. I would like to find an opportunity where I can work on how to translate this intention to my professional life to benefit those around me. I'm looking forward to contributing to this community!