Aaron Gertler ๐ธ
I ran the Forum for three years. I'm no longer an active moderator, but I still provide advice to the team in some cases.
I'm a Communications Officer at Open Philanthropy. Before that, I worked at CEA, on the Forum and other projects. I also started Yale's student EA group, and I spend a few hours a month advising a small, un-Googleable private foundation that makes EA-adjacent donations.
Outside of EA, I play Magic: the Gathering on a semi-professional level and donate half my winnings (more than $50k in 2020) to charity.
Before my first job in EA, I was a tutor, a freelance writer, a tech support agent, and a music journalist. I blog, and keep a public list of my donations, at aarongertler.net.
Posts
We can protect millions of kids from a global killer โ without billions of...
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2024-09-23 | +179 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2024-09-23 | +179 | 0 comments
How to Speedrun a New Drug Application (Interview with Alvea's former CEO)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2024-03-03 | +37 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2024-03-03 | +37 | 0 comments
Social science research we'd like to see on global health and wellbeing [Open...
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, Open Philanthropy @ 2024-02-15 | +167 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, Open Philanthropy @ 2024-02-15 | +167 | 0 comments
The Vice of Spice: Confronting Lead-Tainted Turmeric (Wudan Yan)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2023-09-03 | +26 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2023-09-03 | +26 | 0 comments
Life in a Day: The film that opened my heart to effective altruism
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2023-04-27 | +179 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2023-04-27 | +179 | 0 comments
No Silver Bullet Solutions for the Werewolf Crisis
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2023-02-09 | +333 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2023-02-09 | +333 | 0 comments
Where can I learn about how DALYs are calculated?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2022-06-10 | +45 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2022-06-10 | +45 | 0 comments
Announcing the launch of Open Phil's new website
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2022-06-07 | +47 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2022-06-07 | +47 | 0 comments
Chris Blattman on the chaotic nature of running surveys
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2022-02-20 | +32 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2022-02-20 | +32 | 0 comments
Creative Writing Contest: The Winning Entries
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-12-26 | +124 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-12-26 | +124 | 0 comments
Reasons and Persons: Watch theories eat themselves
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-12-25 | +64 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-12-25 | +64 | 0 comments
(Answered) Tax question: Help us donate millions, get a $500 bounty!
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-12-24 | +35 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-12-24 | +35 | 0 comments
Effective Altruism: The First Decade (Forum Review)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2021-12-01 | +93 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2021-12-01 | +93 | 0 comments
Creative Writing Contest: Now with more prizes!
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-10-14 | +35 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-10-14 | +35 | 0 comments
EA Forum Creative Writing Contest: Submission thread for work first published...
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-09-15 | +21 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-09-15 | +21 | 0 comments
EA Forum Creative Writing Contest: $22,000 in prizes for good stories
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-09-12 | +149 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-09-12 | +149 | 0 comments
What are the EA movement's most notable accomplishments?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-08-23 | +63 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-08-23 | +63 | 0 comments
[PR FAQ] Sharing readership data with Forum authors
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-08-09 | +95 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-08-09 | +95 | 0 comments
Engineering the Apocalypse: Rob Reid and Sam Harris on engineered pandemics...
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-08-06 | +33 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-08-06 | +33 | 0 comments
Lant Pritchett on the futility of "smart buys" in developing-world education
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-07-18 | +58 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-07-18 | +58 | 0 comments
Effective Altruism Polls: A resource that exists
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-07-10 | +25 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-07-10 | +25 | 0 comments
Sam Harris and Will MacAskill: Podcast transcript (2020)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-07-03 | +30 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-07-03 | +30 | 0 comments
The most successful EA podcast of all time: Sam Harris and Will MacAskill (2020)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-07-03 | +168 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-07-03 | +168 | 0 comments
New Roles in Global Health and Wellbeing (Open Philanthropy)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-06-29 | +38 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-06-29 | +38 | 0 comments
What are some examples of successful social change?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-06-22 | +31 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-06-22 | +31 | 0 comments
Forum update: New features (June 2021)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2021-06-17 | +32 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2021-06-17 | +32 | 0 comments
What are some high-impact paths for a young person in the developing world?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-06-14 | +31 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-06-14 | +31 | 0 comments
What is an example of recent, tangible progress in AI safety research?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-06-14 | +35 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-06-14 | +35 | 0 comments
[Podcast] Having a successful career with anxiety, depression, and imposter...
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-05-24 | +159 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-05-24 | +159 | 0 comments
AMA: Working at the Centre for Effective Altruism
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-05-22 | +53 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-05-22 | +53 | 0 comments
AMA: Tim Ferriss, Michael Pollan, and Dr. Matthew W. Johnson on psychedelics...
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-05-13 | +149 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-05-13 | +149 | 0 comments
(Closed) Seeking (paid) volunteers to test introductory EA content
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-04-22 | +41 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-04-22 | +41 | 0 comments
What material should we cross-post for the Forum's archives?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-04-15 | +28 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-04-15 | +28 | 0 comments
Your World, Better: Global progress for middle schoolers
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-04-11 | +15 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-04-11 | +15 | 0 comments
Opportunity for EA orgs: $5k/year in ETH (tech setup required)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-03-15 | +20 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-03-15 | +20 | 0 comments
Our plans for hosting an EA wiki on the Forum
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-03-02 | +127 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-03-02 | +127 | 0 comments
Many (many!) charities are too small to measure their own impact
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-02-15 | +55 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-02-15 | +55 | 0 comments
80,000 Hours: Where's the best place to volunteer?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-25 | +13 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-25 | +13 | 0 comments
Hilary Greaves: The collectivist critique of the EA movement
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-19 | +35 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-19 | +35 | 0 comments
Seeking part-time contractor for Facebook group support
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-15 | +31 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-15 | +31 | 0 comments
EA Course Syllabus: David Manley's "Changing the World"
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-06 | +25 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-06 | +25 | 0 comments
Open Philanthropy: Our Approach to Recruiting a Strong Team
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-05 | +8 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-05 | +8 | 0 comments
Julia Galef and Angus Deaton: podcast discussion of RCT issues (excerpts)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-04 | +29 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2021-01-04 | +29 | 0 comments
Open Philanthropy: 2020 Allocation to GiveWell Top Charities
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-12-29 | +13 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-12-29 | +13 | 0 comments
Open Philanthropy's AI governance grantmaking (so far)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-12-17 | +63 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-12-17 | +63 | 0 comments
Forum update: New features (December 2020)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2020-12-04 | +52 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2020-12-04 | +52 | 0 comments
Open Philanthropy Staff: Suggestions for Individual Donors (2020)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-12-02 | +11 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-12-02 | +11 | 0 comments
New tags, by popular demand: "Motivation" and "Funding Request"
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-11-17 | +19 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-11-17 | +19 | 0 comments
Progress Open Thread: October // Student Summit 2020
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-10-21 | +53 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-10-21 | +53 | 0 comments
The two-minute EA Forum feedback survey
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2020-09-18 | +22 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2020-09-18 | +22 | 0 comments
New report on how much computational power it takes to match the human brain...
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-09-15 | +45 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-09-15 | +45 | 0 comments
How have you become more (or less) engaged with EA in the last year?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-09-08 | +57 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-09-08 | +57 | 0 comments
Some thoughts on the EA Munich // Robin Hanson incident
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-08-28 | +48 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-08-28 | +48 | 0 comments
It's Not Hard to Be Morally Excellent; You Just Choose Not To Be
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-08-24 | +48 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-08-24 | +48 | 0 comments
Misconceptions about effective altruism (80,000 Hours)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-08-07 | +29 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-08-07 | +29 | 0 comments
Toby Ord: Selected quotations on existential risk
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-08-06 | +32 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-08-06 | +32 | 0 comments
The one-minute EA Forum feedback survey
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2020-07-30 | +27 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2020-07-30 | +27 | 0 comments
Utilitarianism with and without expected utility
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-07-24 | +27 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-07-24 | +27 | 0 comments
A list of good heuristics that the case for AI X-risk fails
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-07-16 | +25 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-07-16 | +25 | 0 comments
Study results: The most convincing argument for effective donations
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-06-28 | +87 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-06-28 | +87 | 0 comments
EA Forum feature suggestion thread
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2020-06-16 | +61 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ, JP Addison๐ธ @ 2020-06-16 | +61 | 0 comments
Modeling the Human Trajectory (Open Philanthropy)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-06-16 | +50 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-06-16 | +50 | 0 comments
EA Handbook, Third Edition: We want to hear your feedback!
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-05-28 | +43 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-05-28 | +43 | 0 comments
Open Philanthropy: Our Progress in 2019 and Plans for 2020
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-05-12 | +43 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-05-12 | +43 | 0 comments
Notes on getting involved with small EA projects
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-05-12 | +25 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-05-12 | +25 | 0 comments
Open Philanthropy: Questions We Ask Ourselves Before Making a Grant
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-05-04 | +20 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-05-04 | +20 | 0 comments
What are examples of EA work being reviewed by non-EA researchers?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-03-24 | +63 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-03-24 | +63 | 0 comments
Lant Pritchett's "smell test": is your impact evaluation asking questions that...
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-03-18 | +36 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-03-18 | +36 | 0 comments
What COVID-19 questions should Open Philanthropy pay Good Judgment to work on?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-03-18 | +36 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-03-18 | +36 | 0 comments
What are some 1:1 meetings you'd like to arrange, and how can people find you?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-03-18 | +35 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-03-18 | +35 | 0 comments
80,000 Hours: Anonymous contributors on flaws of the EA community
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-03-04 | +46 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-03-04 | +46 | 0 comments
80,000 Hours: Anonymous contributors on EA movement growth
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-02-18 | +33 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-02-18 | +33 | 0 comments
Poverty in Depression-era England: Excerpts from Orwell's "Wigan Pier"
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-02-12 | +16 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-02-12 | +16 | 0 comments
Anonymous contributors answer: How honest and candid should high-profile people...
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-02-12 | +22 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-02-12 | +22 | 0 comments
AI Impacts: Historic trends in technological progress
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-02-12 | +55 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-02-12 | +55 | 0 comments
80,000 Hours: Ways to be successful that people don't talk about enough
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-01-31 | +11 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-01-31 | +11 | 0 comments
Five GCR grants from the Global Challenges Foundation
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-01-16 | +34 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2020-01-16 | +34 | 0 comments
80,000 Hours: Mistakes people make when deciding what work to do
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-12-27 | +11 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-12-27 | +11 | 0 comments
Open Philanthropy Staff: Suggestions for Individual Donors (2019)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-12-26 | +21 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-12-26 | +21 | 0 comments
"Altruism-driven research" (EA meets... plant pathology?)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-12-18 | +14 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-12-18 | +14 | 0 comments
80,000 Hours: Bad habits among people trying to improve the world
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-12-12 | +27 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-12-12 | +27 | 0 comments
80,000 Hours: Before committing to management consulting, consider [other...
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-11-12 | +14 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-11-12 | +14 | 0 comments
EA Leaders Forum: Survey on EA priorities (data and analysis)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-11-12 | +126 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-11-12 | +126 | 0 comments
Wild animal welfare in Hans Christian Andersen (Julia Wise)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-11-12 | +20 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-11-12 | +20 | 0 comments
Reflections on EA Global London 2019 (Mrinank Sharma)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-10-29 | +26 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-10-29 | +26 | 0 comments
80,000 Hours: How useful are long-term career plans?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-10-09 | +11 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-10-09 | +11 | 0 comments
EA Handbook 3.0: What content should I include?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-09-30 | +44 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-09-30 | +44 | 0 comments
Book launch: "Effective Altruism: Philosophical Issues" (Oxford)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-09-18 | +37 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-09-18 | +37 | 0 comments
How do you, personally, experience "EA motivation"?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-08-16 | +31 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-08-16 | +31 | 0 comments
William Rathbone: 19th-century effective altruist?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-07-30 | +20 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-07-30 | +20 | 0 comments
Feedback available for EA Forum drafts (suspended)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-07-24 | +118 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-07-24 | +118 | 0 comments
EA Forum: Footnotes are live, and other updates
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-05-21 | +32 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-05-21 | +32 | 0 comments
(Crosspost) A Response To "Making Discussions In EA Groups Inclusive"
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-05-16 | +16 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-05-16 | +16 | 0 comments
What are some lists of open questions in effective altruism?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-02-05 | +28 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-02-05 | +28 | 0 comments
Are there more papers on dung beetles than human extinction?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-02-05 | +19 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-02-05 | +19 | 0 comments
The Meetup Cookbook (Fantastic Group Resource)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-01-24 | +15 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-01-24 | +15 | 0 comments
The Global Priorities of the Copenhagen Consensus
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-01-07 | +46 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2019-01-07 | +46 | 0 comments
Forum Update: New Features, Seeking New Moderators
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-12-20 | +25 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-12-20 | +25 | 0 comments
What's going on with the new Question feature?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-12-20 | +12 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-12-20 | +12 | 0 comments
Literature Review: Why Do People Give Money To Charity?
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-11-21 | +48 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-11-21 | +48 | 0 comments
W-Risk and the Technological Wavefront (Nell Watson)
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-11-11 | +9 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-11-11 | +9 | 0 comments
Book Review: Enlightenment Now, by Steven Pinker
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-10-21 | +24 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-10-21 | +24 | 0 comments
EA Concepts: Share Impressions Before Credences
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-09-18 | +9 | 0 comments
by Aaron Gertler ๐ธ @ 2018-09-18 | +9 | 0 comments