Michael Nielsen

Michael Nielsen, a pioneering scientist in quantum computing and open science, delves into the beauty of the universe and the importance of effective collaboration in science. He discusses the intriguing contrasts between visual and auditory beauty and the dynamics of scientific partnerships. Nielsen critiques the stagnation in theoretical physics, explores the future of quantum computing, and emphasizes the significance of mentorship. He shares reflections on the power of travel as a learning tool and their impact on understanding civilization's fragility.

Michael Nielsen is a quantum physicist, science writer, computer programming researcher, and modern polymath working on tools to expand human capacity to think and create. He’s previously authored pioneering quantum computing books, propelled forward the open science movement, and published research on artificial intelligence. He now researches meta-science at the Astera Institute, while writing about his many interests online. See www.notion.so/blog/michael-nielsen for episode transcript. Hosted by Devon Zuegel Edited by Anson Yu Audio by The Land Films

Jim talks with Michael Nielsen about the ideas in his and Kanjun Qiu's recent essay, "A Vision of Metascience: An Engine of Improvement for the Social Processes of Science"... Jim talks with Michael Nielsen about the ideas in his and Kanjun Qiu's recent essay, "A Vision of Metascience: An Engine of Improvement for the Social Processes of Science." They discuss the meaning of metascience, a vivid example in Genovese maritime insurance, attracting intellectual dark matter, creation & limitations of the h-index, frozen accidents in our scientific operating system, what allowed the original DARPA to be so productive, funding-by-variance, failure audits, changing the unit of evaluation from papers to software, at-the-bench fellowships, science funders as detectors & predictors, endowed professorships by age 25, eliciting the secret thesis, metascience as an imaginative design practice, bottlenecks to decentralized improvement, the Open Science Collaboration, pre-registered study designs, metascience entrepreneurship, the arXiv preprint server, and much more. Episode Transcript "A Vision of Metascience: An Engine of Improvement for the Social Processes of Science," by Michael Nielsen and Kanjun Qiu Michael Nielsen (website) JRS EP12 - Brian Nosek – Open Science and Reproducibility Michael Nielsen is a scientist who helped pioneer quantum computing and the modern open science movement. His main current projects are in metascience, programmable matter, and tools for thought.  He is the recent co-author of a book-long essay, "A Vision of Metascience", outlining the ways in which the institutions of science can become self-improving.  All his work is united by a broader interest in tools that help people think and create, both individually and collectively. He is a research fellow at the Astera Institute in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Michael Nielsen (@michael_nielsen), research fellow at Y Combinator Research, joins Erik for a wide-ranging discussion about a variety of topics, including:* Why the top names in the S&P 500 change over time, but the top names in global university rankings don’t — and how to fix that.* How Michael thinks about the role of risk in science, and why he'd like to see more risk-taking.* Memory, including how to improve yours and why professional athletes seem to have such good ones.* The “compliment deficit” in the world and how to fix it.* The silver lining of the Bay Area housing problem.* The reproducibility problem in social science.* Why he’s a fan of chaos.…and much more.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

Ajeya Cotra, a Senior Research Analyst at Open Philanthropy focused on AI risks, discusses the strengths and critiques of Effective Altruism (EA). Alongside Michael Nielsen, an author known for his work on open science, they explore how the movement balances altruism and personal impact. They challenge the assumption that donors prioritize effectiveness, debate centralization vs. decentralization in resources, and unravel the complexities of moral dilemmas in charitable giving. Their candid conversation encourages rethinking how we allocate resources for maximum good.