Brian Nosek, a pioneering psychologist and professor at the University of Virginia, shook the scientific establishment in 2015 when his Reproducibility Project revealed that only 36% of published psychology studies could be successfully replicated—exposing a crisis at the heart of scientific research.

As co-founder of the Center for Open Science, Nosek has built an organization dedicated to increasing transparency and accountability in scientific practice. His work challenges the academic incentive structure that rewards publishing novel, positive results over methodological rigor and accurate findings, pushing researchers to focus on career advancement rather than discovering truth.

WHAT WE DISCUSSED

• Brian Nosek reveals the reproducibility crisis in science, where the pressure to publish novel, tidy results often conflicts with rigorous, messy reality.
• How incentive structures in academia can skew research, pushing scientists toward career advancement over truth-seeking.
• The role of decentralized skepticism in science, and why converging evidence over time builds trust in findings.
• Solutions like Registered Reports, which commit to publishing studies regardless of outcome, aiming to align rewards with rigor.
• The impact of bureaucracy and funding biases on research, alongside innovative ideas to reduce friction and accelerate discovery.