Robert Wiblin
Director of Research at 80,000 Hours
I do research into the best ways to do good in your career for 80,000 Hours.
I also host the 80,000 Hours Podcast where we have 'unusually in-depth conversations about the world's most pressing problems and how you can use your career to solve them.' Here's my written work for 80,000 Hours.
These days my personal blog is over at Medium. You can find some of my old ideas at: Overcoming Bias, the Giving What We Can blog, and the Effective Altruism Forum.
I regularly offer unsolicited opinions on Facebook. You can also find me on Twitter and LinkedIn.
My background
I studied both genetics and economics at the Australian National University (ANU), graduated top of my class, and was named Young Alumnus of the Year in 2015.
I worked as a research economist in various Australian Government agencies including the Treasury and Productivity Commission.
I then moved to Oxford in the UK to work at the Centre for Effective Altruism, first as Research Director and then Executive Director.
I then became Research Director for 80,000 Hours as it was going through Y Combinator in 2015. We then moved to the California Bay Area, but in 2019 came back to settle in London.
I was the founding board Secretary for Animal Charity Evaluators and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Oxford Hub.
If you'd like to learn more, here are a few interviews I've done about me and my work at 80,000 Hours:
A few top intellectual influences
Over the years I have been very influenced by the work of Oxford academics like Prof Nick Bostrom, Prof Hilary Greaves, Dr Toby Ord, Dr Will MacAskill, Amanda Askell and Nick Beckstead.
Here's a list of audiobooks I recommend and think influenced, and hopefully improved, my understanding of the world.
I listen to a lot of podcasts. Of course there's my own show. But when I'm not listening to my own voice, some of my favourites are EconTalk, Conversations with Tyler, Planet Money, BBC More or Less, StartUp and Serial.
Because there are so many, I made a list of of my favourite old EconTalk episodes.
I've written up why I think more people should start long-form interview podcasts and explained why folks should make each interview two hours or longer.
The blog I've read most consistently over the years is Marginal Revolution.
How I hope to improve the world
I am sympathetic to:
Some top research interest are:
Here are some talks on those topics that I've given over the years:
Some of my favourite 80,000 Hours Podcast episodes
Other neat things I've made
I’ve made a checklist of questions I often work through when something unpleasant happens, in order to reframe the situation and get over it as quickly as possible.
Here are some of my thoughts on exercise, why it's so important, and how to get into it.
Here's some suggestions for how Australian policy could be modified to benefit the rest of the world, and some old brainstorming on the overlap between classical liberalism and effective altruism.
Here's some advice on how to effectively promote ideas on social media.
Here's a quiz where you can test your ability to predict which psychology studies can be replicated, and which can't, based on a brief description.
I made a 60 second guide to increasing our chances of surviving attack by nuclear missiles.
I love house music and dancing until I can't any longer — here's a Spotify playlist of 500 tracks I like and a bunch of mixes I love on SoundCloud.
All the way back in 2008 I edited the ANU student newspaper, Woroni - the issues from that year are available here.
Years ago I also kept my own blog, but my views and disposition have changed a lot since back then, so take all of that stuff with a substantial pinch of salt.
Some personal information
Actually the details of my life are quite inconsequential.
Get in touch
You can contact me at rob ~at~ 80000hours ~dot~ org.
Unfortunately I can no longer reply to every email requesting personalised career advice. I suggest checking out our career guide and then applying for coaching.
© Robert Wiblin All Right Reserved