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Schmidt Sciences Polymath Program Awards $2.5M Grants to Six Pioneering Researchers

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This article covers Schmidt Sciences' Polymath Program grants, including one researcher (Sam Gershman) exploring single-cell organism intelligence and its implications for AI system design, which has tangential relevance to AI safety and capabilities research.

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Summary

Schmidt Sciences awarded six researchers up to $2.5 million each over five years through its Polymath Program, supporting high-risk interdisciplinary research. The 2024 cohort includes work on AI-personalized drug treatments, genomics, carbon recycling, animal communication, single-cell organism intelligence and AI design implications, and other frontier science areas. The program has funded 21 Polymaths across six countries since 2021.

Key Points

  • •Six researchers awarded up to $2.5M each over five years for high-risk, interdisciplinary research across fields including AI, climate, and biology.
  • •Sam Gershman (Harvard) will explore intelligence in single-cell organisms and its implications for AI system design.
  • •Orit Peleg (CU Boulder) will investigate how communication evolved across animal species, relevant to understanding collective intelligence.
  • •The program received 117 applications from 65 universities; awardees are selected from the top 5% of applicants.
  • •Schmidt Sciences supports interdisciplinary research through multiple programs including Schmidt Science Fellows and the Polymath Program (est. 2021).

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Schmidt Sciences Polymath Program Awards $2.5M Grants to Six Pioneering Researchers 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 Capital Markets

 Schmidt Sciences Polymath Program Awards $2.5M Grants to Six Pioneering Researchers

 The Schmidt Sciences Polymath Program funds high-risk, innovative projects by providing multi-year grants to top researchers in critical areas from AI to climate change. 

 Sep 19, 2024

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 NEW YORK—Six groundbreaking researchers have been awarded up to $2.5 million each over five years as part of the prestigious Schmidt Sciences Polymath Program . These individuals will join an international cohort of 21 Polymaths across six countries, recognized for their innovative approaches in pushing scientific boundaries.

 The Polymath Program provides multi-year, flexible grants designed to support high-risk, cutting-edge research that traditional funding often overlooks. Past awardees have tackled challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and improving healthcare data access.

 This year, the program received 117 applications from 65 universities and partners. Senior scientists, previous awardees, and other experts evaluated the applicants based on their past achievements, particularly their ability to conduct high-impact research, and the potential of their future projects.

 “Curiosity doesn’t operate in a silo, and neither should science,” said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Sciences. “That’s why we support several initiatives to enable researchers to pursue interdisciplinary hypotheses, in collaboration. The Schmidt Sciences Polymath Program allows bold, creative thinkers to pursue knowledge across boundaries and in doing so, to help all of us better understand the deep interconnections between people, planet and universe.”

 Polymath awardees benefit from an annual gathering of winners, which fosters collaboration and further research opportunities. The recipients are chosen from the top 5 percent of applicants and are granted funding to continue their work within three years of achieving tenure.

 “We are delighted to support the Polymaths to pursue what excites them. Through our funding, we hope to achieve breakthroughs and transform the way science is conducted,” said Stu Feldman, chief scientist at Schmidt Sciences.

 Schmidt Sciences funds interdisciplinary research across a wide range of fields through programs like Schmidt Science Fellows and the Polymath Program, which began in 2021. The 2024 Polymaths are:

 Ashleigh Theberge , Associate Professor of Chemistry and Urology at the University of Washington, will investigate how to personalize drug treatments and dosages using AI, remote specimen collection, and biochemical mapping at the cellular level.

 Lawrence David , Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke University, aims to develop new genomics methods to improve sustainable di

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