September 2025
Brief
Headlines
Updates from the consulting industry + the world's biggest problems
Silicon Valley tech leaders backed 'Leading the Future' Super PAC with $100M to drown out AI critics in 2026 midterms-The Washington Post
India opened its first animal stem-cell biobank in Hyderabad, highlighting cultivated protein production as a priority -Green Queen
Laid-off USAID experts in global health, governance, and climate scramble for junior roles as more cuts loom -Devex
Spanish technology startup Neurologyca said its Kopernica AI can read human emotions, even in crowds -Reuters
Food fortification could be India's next public health win against hidden hunger (featuring our member Tony Senanayake!) -The Hindustan Times
Quick wins
Courses, tools, and other impact hacks
OpenAI is launching a $50 million fund to support US non-profits and frontline groups driving innovation for the public good. Grant applications open Sept 8-OpenAI
Explore decades of global data on deaths, disease, and risks with these interactive visualizations-Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
Use this forecasting tool to make and track predictions about AI progress, geopolitics, and more -Metaculus
Apply by September 14 for the Centre for Effective Altruism's free 4-day online bootcamp designed for busy professionals pivoting to high-impact careers -Centre for Effective Altruism
Deep reads
Nuanced takes worth your time
On the "Own Your Potential" podcast, Our CEO, Sarah Pomeranz, discusses building bridges between extraordinary talent and high-impact organizations -Own Your Potential
Fifteen unconventional ways a generalist background opens paths from education to impactful work in AI safety (written by one of our members, Moneer Moukaddem!) -EA Forum
"Tomorrow's AI" visualizes 13 expert-forecast scenarios of how advanced AI could reshape our world -Future of Life Institute
Five ways you can have an impact without quitting your job-The School for Moral Ambition
The science behind cultivated salmon and where you can try it -NPR
More memes, more insights, less burnout Follow us on LinkedIn!
Coming up
Events worth changing your Slack status to OOO for
September
- CARE Conference Warsaw, September 11-14
- EA Summit Paris, September 13 (Apply by September 10)
- EA Summit Philippines, September 27 (Applications closed)
October
- EAGx Berlin, October 3-5 (Apply by September 7)
- AI, Animals, and Digital Minds NYC, October 9-10
- EA Global New York City, October 10-12 (Apply by September 28)
- Reducetarian Summit Atlanta, October 24-26
Meet the member
We spoke with Carolina Toth, GiveDirectly's Senior Director of Product and former Chief of Staff, who left McKinsey for high-impact roles twice! Each time, she brought new skills and context to her work and never wavered in her commitment to making a difference.
Why take consulting skills elsewhere? Knowing how to run a project well and how to problem-solve will come up in any and every job. Many of the world's most pressing problems cannot be solved with a client-service model - in many situations, there is a need for disruption, innovation, or new efforts beyond what a consultant can achieve.
What's the best way to fight lifestyle creep from a consulting salary and perks? Make conscious choices to remain connected to other communities and recognize when a lifestyle choice is needlessly lavish. The human desire to match your peers and consider whomever you are around as 'normal' is real. Don't worry if you are already acclimated - humans are resilient, and you can adjust again!
Jobs
Get paid to assist solving the world's worst problems!
AI safety & policy
- Research Assistant Residency in Human Influence - UK AI Security Institute (Apply by September 8)
- Pop-up Node Manager - Foresight Institute (Apply by September 30)
- Business Development Lead - Goodfire(Rolling)
Animal welfare
- Campaigns Lead - Sinergia Animal (Rolling)
Global health & development
- Head of Finance - GiveWell (Rolling)
- Manager/Senior Associate, Projects - Instiglio (Rolling)
- Finance and Grants Manager, US - Muso(Rolling)
Multiple cause areas
- Content Associate - 80,000 Hours (Apply by September 15)
- Contractor, Using AI to Improve FDA Transparency - 1DaySooner (Rolling)
- Development Associate; Research Assistant, Partnerships in Proliferation Prevention Program - Stimson (Rolling)
Member moves
Consultants taking off in high-impact new roles
- Zach Withers joined Evidence Action as Strategic Initiatives Manager, helping expand the impact of global development programs
- Jim Chapman recently became Director of Operations at ML Alignment and Theory Scholars Program (MATS program)
- Philip Trippenbach stepped into the role of Strategy Director at the Seismic Foundation, shaping the organization's long-term vision
- Alex Bleakley joined the Future of Life Foundation as a Fellow, working on AI for Human Reasoning
- Sophie Williamson accepted a role as Senior Animal Welfare Researcher at Rethink Priorities
- Perusha Moodley joined the ML Alignment and Theory Scholars Program (MATS program) as a Research Manager
- Shakti Arora has started a new role as Operations Manager at Kaya Guides, a Charity Entrepreneurship-incubated charity aiming to reduce depression among youth in India
- Verena Heusser is now a Research Management Associate at the Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI)
- Connor Heaton moved into the role of Program Manager at CivAI, working on AI governance
Want to talk jobs?
Our team has 15+ years of experience in the consulting industry and have each personally transitioned into high impact roles. We'd love to help you do the same!
