My interests and activities are broad, but all revolve around the theme of making the world (universe(s)?) a better place. I am an interdisciplinary (or transdisciplinary) researcher working across a wide range of fields in natural and social science, engineering, philosophy, and policy. My primary focus is global catastrophic risk, meaning risk of events that could destroy global human civilization, such as climate change or nuclear war. I also work in astrobiology, which is the study of life in the universe. My research aims to inform major social decisions through careful attention to their impacts on the world and the universe(s), to fundamental ethics principles, and to the people and institutions involved in the decisions.
I am Co-Founder (with Tony Barrett) and Executive Director of the Global Catastrophic Risk Institute. I am also a Research Affiliate of the University of Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. I live in New York City.
Contact: seth [at] gcrinstitute.org
Other Info: CV * photos * LinkedIn * Google Scholar
Updates:
27 Mar 2024: New paper The origin and implications of the COVID-19 pandemic: An expert survey with Nemesys Insights. The paper is covered in Science and Deutsche Welle.
Click here for old updates
Some Recent Publications:
* The origin and implications of the COVID-19 pandemic: An expert survey, GCRI Technical Report (academic)
* Public health and nuclear winter: Addressing a catastrophic threat, Journal of Public Health Policy (academic)
* Even with electric vehicles, an expanded Turnpike Extension would be bad for the environment, The Jersey Journal (online)
* New York's housing plans must address affordability-& climate change, City Limits (online)
* Assessing natural global catastrophic risks, Natural Hazards (academic)
* Nonhuman value: A survey of the intrinsic valuation of natural and artificial nonhuman entities, Science and Engineering Ethics (academic)
* Book review of The Precipice, Risk Analysis (academic)
* Pandemic refuges: Lessons from two years of COVID-19, Risk Analysis (academic)
Upcoming Conferences & Events:
None at this time.
Click here for old events
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Created 15 Jun 2007 * Updated 27 Mar 2024