I'm starting an MEng in computer science in the fall, and I'm interested in developing software for an EA-like cause as my MEng project. I'm especially interested in projects that involve machine learning or information retrieval.
Some examples of "EA-like" causes I could work on: global health and development (including pandemics), global migration, criminal justice, patent reform, and urban planning.
Clarification: An information retrieval system is a software system, such as a search engine or recommender system, that returns information relevant to a given query.
What are some needs in EA causes or EA organizations (such as information bottlenecks) that a software project could satisfy?
Inspired by: Are there good EA projects for helping with COVID-19?
What I saw recently is mobile development (in a co-founder role) for a sleep-aid app and web development (WP plugins, DB architecture, API integration), full-time, for the Social Science Prediction Platform.
Check also EA Work Club and the Effective Altruism Job Postings and Effective Altruism Volunteering FB groups.
Also I would try ask Effective Thesis if they can connect you with the right persons. (They connect students with suitable thesis projects, but I imagine they can serve your case too if they know relevant connections.)
Thanks for your initiative!