Exploring Biosecurity at EAG NY 25

Context

This post follows up on my initial exploration of transitioning into biosecurity. I recently attended EAG NY and spoke with several professionals working on biosecurity. Huge thanks to 
took the time out of their day to talk to me. 

Takeaways/Assumptions

• Cybersecurity has a high barrier to entry, I need to have high conviction that this is the path for me before committing. Cybersecurity seems more hands-on, whereas biosecurity is more research-y. It seems more feasible to transition directly into biosecurity as opposed to transitioning to cybersecurity -> biosecurity.
• I need to get a better understanding of the biosecurity space and then focus on a specific intervention
• I need to answer the open questions listed below

Open Questions

Should I explore policy work? 

Policy work seems interesting and particularly impactful. For instance, The Market Shaping Accelerator at the University of Chicago is doing research on antimicrobial resistance diagnostics, broad-spectrum antivirals, and more. The Horizon Institute offers career mentorship in this space. One way to answer this question is to test my fit, and this article seems to be a good start. 

Are there any meta skills in biosecurity?

It seems like bioinformatics, operations, and modeling (whatever that means?) would be a useful skills based on the following data points: 

• Siobhan Brenton (COO of Blueprint Biosecurity) mentioned that they may be looking to hire someone to work on the modeling side of things, but having experience in operations also seems particularly useful
• Damon Binder (Open Philanthropy) mentioned doing modeling as part of his day-to-day work
• This position at SecureBio listed bioinformatic analysis under relevant qualifications
• Andrew Snyder-Beattie mentioned bioinformatics/operations experience being helpful during this 80,000 hours podcast

What are the counterarguments to working on biosecurity?

• Wouldn’t a lethal pathogen indiscriminately target anyone, including the creator of the pathogen?
  • It seems like people have still done dangerous bioweapons research in spite of this.
• Doesn't the inverse relationship between lethality and contagiousness limit bioweapon effectiveness?
  • I’ve heard delayed lethality (HIV/AIDS being an example) used as a counterargument, but doesn’t this defeat the purpose of a pathogen used as a bioweapon?

Which specific intervention should I focus on?

The first step for figuring this out is getting an understanding of the biosecurity landscape, but I wonder where to go from there. From there, I'll likely align my choice with my existing skills and interests. I am wondering if anyone has any insights to share on how they landed on a particular space/intervention. 
 

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Anna Ringvold (Horizon Institute for Public Service), Adin Richards (Johns Hopkins/Open Philanthropy), Sarrin Chethik (UChicago Market Shaping Accelerator), Siobhan Brenton (Blueprint Biosecurity), Daphne (PolicyEngine), Damon Binder (Open Philanthropy), and Dominique (Nikki) Aluquin for sharing their insights.

Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash

To-dos

•  Read Map of Biosecurity Interventions — EA Forum
• Apply for Bioinformatics Engineer position at SecureBio (Rejected)
• Submit Biosecurity Expression of Interest
• Find accountability buddy
• Apply for Biosecurity Course through BlueDot Impact
• Apply for ERA’s AIxBiosecurity Fellowship  (Deadline passed)
• Read this article on fit for policy
• Consider coming with an updated map of biosecurity interventions based on recent conversations and research