Rethink Priorities' 2022 hires

Scaling our staff

During 2022, Rethink Priorities (RP) scaled substantially. By the end of the year, we will have hired 32 new people for a total of 58 permanent staff, corresponding to 55 full-time equivalents. 

Photograph from RP's all-staff retreat in Washington DC in September 2022. 

Significantly, we hired for several new roles, such as Research Assistants to support our various teams, Executive Research Assistants for each of our co-CEOs, as well as a Chief Strategy Analyst and Director of Animal Welfare (with the latter being an internal promotion). Our core Operations team also scaled up and now includes an Organizational Psychology Researcher, a Projects and Training Manager, and other new positions. To meet the unique operational needs of the initiatives that RP is now fiscally sponsoring (which are distinct from our day-to-day operations), we also launched a new Special Projects Team.  

Below is a full list of all of our new permanent staff members in 2022 to date.

Animal Welfare

• Elisa Autric (Research Assistant) - After completing an undergraduate degree in social science, Elisa earned a master’s degree in political science at Paris Sciences et Lettres University in 2021. Before joining RP, Elisa was working as a Research Assistant and Coordinator of a public policy evaluation project at Sciences Po Paris. She is now working on invertebrate welfare. 
• Bob Fischer (Senior Research Manager) - Bob is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Texas State University and the Director of the Society for the Study of Ethics & Animals. He has published widely on problems in animal ethics, applied ethics more generally, and epistemology. He is working on the Moral Weight Project.
• Hannah McKay (Research Assistant) - Hannah was previously a Research Fellow at RP where she wrote about potential applications of AI for monitoring the welfare of wild animals, particularly via their vocalizations. She completed an undergraduate degree in zoology and a master’s in biological anthropology. Hannah is on the Wild Animal Welfare team. 
• Sagar Shah (Senior Researcher) - Sagar joined Rethink Priorities from the Bank of England, where his responsibilities included risk assessment, policy development, and forecasting.  Sagar holds degrees in economics from Oxford University (BA) and the London School of Economics (MSc), and serves as Treasurer on the board of Veganuary. Sagar is on the Farmed Animal Welfare team.
• Ben Stevenson (Research Assistant) - Ben graduated from the University of Oxford with an English degree in 2021 and has previously worked as a grant writer. At RP, he is working on supporting investigations on effective interventions to promote zero-suffering diets. 

Global Health and Development

• Melanie Basnak (Senior Research Manager) - Before joining RP, Melanie was a Research Analyst at Charity Entrepreneurship, looking into promising global health and development, health policy, and health security initiatives. Melanie holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University, a Micromasters in Data, Economics and Development Policy from MITx, and a BSc in Biology from Universidad de Buenos Aires. 
• Erin Braid (Research Assistant) - Before joining RP, Erin interned on the cause prioritization team at Open Philanthropy and on the research team at GiveWell. They hold an MSc in Logic from the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation at the University of Amsterdam, and a BSc in Mathematics and Linguistics from Brown University. 
• Tom Hird (Senior Research Manager) - Before joining Rethink Priorities, Tom was a research lead for the Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP) Partnership, a Research Fellow at the University of Bath, and a postdoctoral fellow at Monash University working on policy research and advocacy around the commercial and structural determinants of health. Tom holds an MPhil and Ph.D. in Global Health from the University of Cambridge and a BSc in Biology from Imperial College London.
• James Hu (Research Assistant) - Before joining RP, James interned with Lead Exposure Elimination Project, did research at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, and worked at educational organizations in Oxford, Shanghai, and Beijing. James holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Chicago, where he completed projects on lead pollution and Martian geoscience.
• Aisling Leow (Senior Researcher) - Prior to joining RP, Aisling was the Head of Analytics at the Against Malaria Foundation.  
• Carmen Van Schoubroeck (Research Assistant) - Carmen has lived in Bhutan, Nepal, and the Netherlands and hopes to contribute to better living conditions for people across the globe. Before joining RP, she worked as a consultant and researcher for different clients in the public sector. In that role, helped the national and regional governments in the Netherlands make better decisions using social and quantitative insights. Carmen holds an MSc in Mathematics, a BSc in both Physics and Mathematics and a Micromasters in Data, Economics and Development Policy from MITx.

Leadership and Executive

• Laura Duffy (Executive Research Assistant) - Laura is a recent graduate from the University of Chicago, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Statistics and co-facilitated UChicago Effective Altruism’s Introductory Fellowship. She was also a teacher at a technology summer camp. At RP, Laura is the Executive Research Assistant for Co-CEO Marcus Davis.
• Kieran Greig (Chief Strategy Analyst) - Before joining RP, Kieran was the sole researcher consulting for Farmed Animal Funders. Previously, he worked as a researcher at Animal Charity Evaluators, and at Charity Science, where he systematically analyzed global poverty interventions. Kieran has a B.Sc. from Monash University and a Masters's from La Trobe University. As RP’s Chief Strategy Analyst, Kieran works with the Leadership Team to advise on the organization’s strategy and execution at all levels.
• Zoe Williams (Executive Research Assistant) - Zoe has been involved in the effective altruism community since 2014, and runs a local group in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her background is in analytics, people management, and project management, and she holds a BSc in Statistics and Psychology. Zoe is an Executive Research Assistant for Co-CEO Peter Wildeford.  

General Longtermism

• Renan Aráujo (Researcher) - Previously, Renan was a Predoctoral Research Fellow at the Legal Priorities Project. He holds an MSc in Criminal Justice Policy from the London School of Economics, where he was a Chevening Scholar, and a Law degree from the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil.
• Marie Davidsen-Buhl (Research Assistant) -Before joining RP, she earned a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford. While studying, she helped run the Effective Altruism Oxford group and worked with CEA to support early- and mid-stage EA groups.
• Ben Snodin (Senior Researcher) - Before joining RP, Ben was a Senior Research Scholar at the Future of Humanity Institute. Ben holds an MPhys (combined undergrad and master’s) in Physics and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Chemistry from Oxford University and has worked in finance as a quantitative analyst. Ben is now working on risks and opportunities from advanced nanotechnology. 

AI Governance & Strategy

• Ashwin Acharya (Researcher) - Before joining RP, Ashwin worked as a Research Analyst at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology, studying the international distribution of AI research. Previously, he was a Research Scholar at the Future of Humanity Institute. Ashwin has a degree in Physics from the University of Chicago and is a Security Studies Master's student at Georgetown University.
• Shaun Ee (Associate Researcher) - At RP, Shaun works at the nexus of tech, security, and geopolitics. He is also a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. Before RP, Shaun coordinated cyber policy for Singapore’s government under the Prime Minister’s Office, worked in Washington, DC as assistant director of the Atlantic Council’s cyber program, and served as a signaller in the Singapore Armed Forces. Shaun speaks Mandarin and holds a MA from Peking University and a BA from Washington University in St. Louis, where he studied East African history and cognitive neuroscience.
• Amanda El-Dakhakhni (Senior Research Manager) - Amanda’s background is at the intersection of technology and public policy. Before joining RP, Amanda spent several years advising emerging technology companies operating in complex policy environments, including Uber, Cruise (the autonomous vehicle division of General Motors), and other Fortune 500 firms and technology startups. Previously, she served in policy and legal roles in the US Senate, US Attorney’s Office, and the Obama-Biden White House. Amanda earned a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
• Erich Grunewald (Research Assistant) - Before joining RP, Erich worked as a programmer, most recently for a crypto quant hedge fund. He previously earned a BSc in Computer Engineering and an MSc in Interaction Design from Chalmers University of Technology.

Operations

• Eda Arpacı (Recruiting Coordinator) - Eda previously worked in project administration and as a law and policy researcher, including from a longtermist perspective, on AI, network and information security, and biosecurity. Eda studied for an LL.M. degree at the London School of Economics, where she specialized in information technology law with her research focusing on AI and data governance. She holds a law degree from Bilkent University in Turkey, where she qualified as a lawyer. Eda is interested in EA community building and founded EA Ankara.
• Courtney Brink (Senior People and Culture Coordinator) - With a knack for intercultural communication and team building, Courtney helps to foster and support a positive and collaborative culture at RP. After almost 20 years in the food and tourism industry,  Courtney felt a calling to follow her passion for making a positive impact on the lives of others, which led her to join RP and the EA community where she can learn, grow, and give back. She has a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Women's Studies from Arizona State University.  
• Aaron Dam (Operations Associate) - Aaron studied philosophy and minored in business administration at California State University, Fullerton. Through his interest in philosophy and his practical knowledge in working with people, Aaron wants to bridge researchers and policymakers. He hopes that his role will enable RP to maximize its impact. Aaron is interested in effective altruism and longtermism. 
• Melissa Guzikowski (Projects and Training Manager) - Melissa brings a passion for people management to the organization where she oversees internal management development, training, and a wide variety of operations projects. Melissa formerly served as the Director of People Operations at Animal Charity Evaluators.
• Jessika Mendez-Reppucci (Finance Coordinator) - Jessika is motivated by a passion for problem-solving and numbers. She has worked on the finance and operations teams of various New York City nonprofits that address social justice issues and educational inequality. Jessika studied Environmental Studies at NYU and is currently working on her MBA in Accounting at Baruch College.  
• Rachel Norman (Communications Coordinator) - Driven by a passion for communicating in a way that empowers others, Rachel has worked in teaching, policy and advocacy, and nonprofits, most recently as a Director of Resource Development. Rachel has an MA in education policy from George Washington University and a BA in social studies education from Ithaca College.
• Veronica Passarelli (Organizational Psychology Researcher) - Before joining RP, Veronica advised US federal agencies on human capital practices. Veronica has an MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George Mason University and a BS in Psychology from Indiana University. At RP, Veronica works on internal organizational design and development. 

Special Projects

• María de la Lama (Special Projects Associate) - María holds an MSc in Philosophy of the Social Sciences from the London School of Economics as well as a degree in Philosophy from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. Previously, María co-founded a communications consultancy after having worked in publishing and journalism. She is interested in longtermism and decision-making under uncertainty.
• Carolyn Footit (Acting Director of Special Projects) - Carolyn has a Master of Science in Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has close to a decade of experience working in the global health and development sector, where she created digital health solutions for healthcare workers in low- and middle-income countries. 
• Cristina Schmidt Ibañez (Special Projects Associate) - Most recently, Cristina worked as a project manager at the National Pandemic Cohort Network (Germany) and supported the management and operations of several movement-building projects in the effective altruism space. She has experience working in the corporate, nonprofit, and public sectors. Cristina holds an M.Sc. in International Logistics and Management from the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.

Fellowships

In 2022, we welcomed 13 fellows who were given the chance to build their skills, test their fit, and strengthen their career networks. The goals of the program include:

1. Helping fellows test, build, and demonstrate their fit for further work (typically, many go on to high-impact jobs at RP or other EA organizations.).
2. Helping our permanent staff to build their people management skills. 

We plan to continue running the program (or otherwise provide a valuable entry-level EA position) and may increase the number of offerings in the future.