EAG Talks

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A practical session on what makes a strong grant application, from how funders actually read proposals to the mistakes that sink otherwise promising projects. Come with questions, leave with a clearer sense of what it takes to get funded.

Kiryl Shantyka serves as EAGx Coordinator at Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA). He manages grantmaking and strategic support for EAGx conferences and summits across Europe, advising organizers as they design and run high-quality events that connect people with impactful work and ideas.

Before joining CEA, he was Executive Manager at Effective Altruism Sweden, supporting community building across the Nordics. His work spanned operations, project incubation, compliance, and event leadership.

Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.org
Learn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.org

Learn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.org
Find out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

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For many people, deciding to give effectively could be the single most impactful decision they make, if they stick to it. In this session Sofie Sjöstrand goes over the why and how of effective giving, helping you avoid common pitfalls and create lasting impact.

Sofie is the Executive Director of Ge Effektivt. With a background in fundraising, foreign aid and International Relations she is working to help more Swedish donors increase their impact through Effective Giving.

Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.org
Learn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.org

Learn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.org
Find out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

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How do we do the most good? Most well-intentioned interventions have little measurable impact. A small number are vastly more effective than the rest.

This session covers the core frameworks of effective altruism: identifying important, tractable and neglected problems; thinking about counterfactual and marginal impact; and weighing priorities across cause areas including global health, animal welfare, catastrophic risks and advanced AI. It also touches on what this means in practice for career and giving decisions.

A useful entry point for newcomers and a concise refresher for those already familiar with the framework.

Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.org
Learn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.org

Learn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.org
Find out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTube

The AI safety landscape can feel opaque from the outside: a dense network of organisations, research agendas, and entry points that isn't always easy to navigate. Drawing on his experience building Apart Research, Jaime maps the ecosystem: who the key players are, what they work on, and where people with different backgrounds can find a foothold.

Whether you're a researcher, an engineer, a communicator, or an operator, this session is designed to help you see where you might fit and what your next step could look like.

Jaime Raldua is CEO of Apart Research. Before, Jaime did research in robotics and software engineering, and started a consultancy to help EA organisations with tech and data.

In just the last two years, Apart Research has published 30+ AI safety papers, including two oral spotlights at ICLR 2025 (top 1.8% of accepted papers), and engaged 5,000+ participants across 45 global research sprints, all through a remote pipeline focused on transforming ideas into peer-reviewed papers.

Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.org
Learn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.org

Learn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.org
Find out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

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This session provides an overview of Ambitious Impact's (AIM) work to launch cost-effective organisations improving the world at scale. Over the last five years, AIM has launched more than 50 organisations improving the lives of upwards of 75 million people and 1 billion animals. This session explains how you can assess your fit as a potential founder, ways of developing skills as an entrepreneur, and why AIM thinks entrepreneurship is a uniquely impactful pathway.

In a whirlwind of testing fit for different approaches to doing good, Isla Gibson has done social sciences research in a range of settings, China-facing EA community building, and run deliberative citizens' panels for government in the UK. After some short stints at Probably Good and D-Prize, she's now helping find founders to launch some of the most ambitious charities in the world at Ambitious Impact.

Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.org
Learn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.org

Learn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.org
Find out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTube

In this session, we explores ten impactful career paths that go beyond traditional roles, focusing on leveraging skills, money, and networks for global impact. We covers options suited to different career stages. The second half will be an interactive session, where attendees brainstorm which of these options they might pursue, sparking ideas for meaningful change.

Emil Wasteson Wallén is Director of Programs at High Impact Professionals, where he helps mid-career and senior professionals transition into high-impact careers, primarily through the Impact Accelerator Program.

His background spans entrepreneurship in the alternative protein space to EA community building. He brings a systems thinking approach and an action-oriented mindset, and thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution.

Emil is also a 10% Pledger and kidney donor.

Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.org
Learn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.org

Learn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.org
Find out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTube

An introduction to alternative proteins and why they offer a high-impact, scalable solution to the challenges of factory farming. This session explores the case for alternative proteins, the state of the European industry, key policy opportunities and risks, and the role the Nordics can play in driving progress.

Ellie works to accelerate the alternative protein ecosystem across the Nordic region, and coordinates Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe's research function. Now based in Stockholm, her background includes political and NGO roles in London, Paris, Brussels, and experience in both the UK and European Parliaments.

Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.org
Learn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.org

Learn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.org
Find out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTube

Attending your first EAGx Nordics can feel both exciting and overwhelming, hundreds of attendees, a packed schedule, and lots of opportunities to navigate. This session is designed to help you get oriented quickly and focus on what matters most.

Max Onkenhout, Community Coordinator at EA Sweden, walks you through what EAGx Nordics is, why it exists, and how to approach it strategically. You'll learn how to prioritize your time, choose between sessions, approach 1-on-1 meetings, and connect with the people most relevant to your interests.

We'll also cover how to manage your energy across the weekend so you can stay engaged without burning out.

The real value of EAGx Nordics comes from the ideas you engage with and the people you meet. This session will help you be more intentional and confident, so you leave with more than you expected.

Particularly recommended for first-time attendees but valuable for even experienced attendees.

Find out more about EA Global conferences at: https://www.eaglobal.org
Learn more about effective altruism at: https://www.effectivealtruism.org

Learn more about effective altruism at: www.effectivealtruism.org
Find out more about EA Global conferences at: www.effectivealtruism.org/ea-global

Watch on YouTube

Jeff Kaufman got into effective altruism before it even had a name. From 2009 to 2022, he and his wife, Julia Wise, donated 50% of their income, giving away over $2 million. Then, a conversation with someone from 80,000 Hours changed his trajectory. Jeff felt he could do more by applying his skills directly to help prevent catastrophic pandemics, rather than focusing on donations.

Today, Jeff leads SecureBio Detection (formerly the Nucleic Acid Observatory), a project working to detect stealth pandemics before they spread beyond our ability to respond.

In this video, Jeff explains how metagenomic sequencing can catch pathogens we aren't even looking for, why stealth pandemics represent one of the most serious biological risks to humanity, and what it would take to remove this risk entirely. "I think it is achievable to get to where stealth pandemics are not a feasible way to attack humanity, where if someone tried it, we would catch it and they would not succeed."

• See more impact stories like this one: effectivealtruism.org/stories
• Learn more about SecureBio Detection: securebio.org/detection
• Learn more about effective altruism: effectivealtruism.org
• Inspired? Take Action: effectivealtruism.org/take-action

Chapters:
00:00 – Biosecurity and Pandemic Detection
00:56 – SecureBio Detection (Nucleic Acid Observatory)
01:28 – How Metagenomic Sequencing Works
02:13 – Why Stealth Pandemics Are a Top Priority
03:04 – From Earning to Give to Direct Work
05:32 – What Success Looks Like: Taking Stealth Pathogens Off the Table

#EffectiveAltruism #EffectiveAltruismStories

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Michael Thatcher's career has been guided by a simple formula: "Follow your heart, use your head, and then go make a difference." This has taken him from professional musician and dancer, to oceanographic researcher, to tech executive. Today, Michael is the President and CEO of Charity Navigator.

Michael sees Charity Navigator as the "top of the funnel" for the effective giving journey, helping millions of donors move beyond the "warm glow" of emotional giving toward smarter, more effective philanthropy. It's a role he's deeply passionate about: "I love what I do. I love the chance to make things more effective for others!"

In this video, Michael explores trends reshaping philanthropy, from the shift away from overhead ratios toward measuring real impact, to the growth of donor-advised funds and alternative giving platforms. He also highlights two key tension points in the giving space: first, getting people to give more, and then helping them give more effectively. "Figuring out where you can have the highest level of impact with the resources that you have is actually the smartest thing you can do." Michael shares how the effective altruism movement plays an important role in that second piece, helping donors find where their giving can do the most good.

• See more impact stories like this one: effectivealtruism.org/stories
• Learn more about Charity Navigator and Effective Giving: https://www.charitynavigator.org/donor-basics/giving-101/introduction-to-effective-giving/
• Learn more about effective altruism: effectivealtruism.org
• Inspired? Take Action: effectivealtruism.org/take-action

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction: The Challenge of Rating Impact
00:28 - Michael Thatcher’s Unconventional Career Path
01:11 - The Giving Journey Starts with the Heart
02:19 - Charity Navigator’s Role: The Top of the Funnel
02:53 - Focusing on Impact Over Overhead
03:14 - Giving Trends: Crypto, Donor-Advised Funds, Direct Giving
04:37 - Moving Donors from Safe Giving to Effective Giving
05:08 - How Effective Altruism Increases Impact

#EffectiveAltruism #EffectiveAltruismStories