TL;DR
I am a microbiologist and faculty member aiming to contribute to pandemic preparedness in Africa. Despite rejections from several Effective Altruism opportunities, I am committed to transitioning into vaccine design, specifically focusing on phage-based vaccines. I secured a research visit position at the University of Waterloo but faced funding challenges, with rejections from Open Philanthropy and EA Funds. I seek advice on coping with feelings of inadequacy, understanding what projects funders find impactful, evaluating the potential impact of phage vaccine development, and identifying alternative funding sources for research visits.
I am currently grappling with feelings of inadequacy in my efforts to make a high impact. As a faculty member and microbiologist, I believe pandemic preparedness is critically important for Africa.
To contribute to this field, I applied to various Effective Altruism (EA) opportunities to enhance my understanding and refine my impact. Unfortunately, most of these opportunities did not consider me a "good fit," with the latest rejection being particularly discouraging.
After attending a Bluedot course on Pandemic Preparedness, I was inspired to transition into vaccine design and research. Specifically, I decided to focus on developing a phage-based vaccine to gain the necessary skills for vaccine development. I secured a research visit position at the University of Waterloo but needed funding to attend.
I applied for support through the Open Philanthropy career program and the EA Long-Term Future Fund, believing my goals aligned with their objectives. However, Open Philanthropy declined my application, and although EA Funds initially considered my request, they ultimately rejected it after I asked for a quick response.
I have several questions:
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How do you cope with the feeling of not meeting the high expectations associated with making a significant impact?
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What types of career activities or projects do these funders typically view as high-impact and worth supporting?
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Do you believe pursuing a career in phage vaccine development can truly make a significant impact?
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Are there any available funding sources for research visits like mine that you are aware of?
Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences.
It can be really hard to internalize this but I thought it might be worth a quick reminder that your value as a person has nothing to do with how much impact you have. You are clearly an incredible person trying hard to live a good life and you deserve all the happiness in the world for it!