Science & Technology
The Thiel Foundation supports the exploration of new frontiers in science and technology, including artificial intelligence, longevity science, cyberspace development, outer space exploration, and seasteading. To that end, we fund forward-thinking research that endeavors to improve the human condition and to ensure that technological breakthroughs will benefit humanity.
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Cynthia KenyonDr. Kenyon focuses on treating aging and metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, by stimulating interaction between certain genes and enzymes. Dr. Kenyon studied chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Georgia before earning a doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981. It was there that she began her ground-breaking work in genetics, which eventually evolved into a study of the biology of aging. Since 1986, Dr. Kenyon has been at the University of California, San Francisco, where she is now an American Cancer Society Professor and the director of the Hillblom Center for the Biology of Aging. In addition, she is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.Read more about Cynthia Kenyon. |
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Aubrey de GreyDr. de Grey works to understand, mitigate, and eventually cure the effects of aging. Born in 1963 in London, Dr. de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist and the author of Ending Aging, a mainstream book about how regenerative medicine could cure human aging within the next few decades. He has also developed what is called Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence, or SENS, a proposed plan of therapies that adopt an engineering approach to reverse—and ultimately stop—the effects of aging. Dr. de Grey holds a bachelor’s, a master’s, and a doctoral degree from the University of Cambridge. He is currently the chief science officer of the SENS Foundation and editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed academic journal Rejuvenation Research.Read more about Aubrey de Grey. |
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The Singularity InstituteThe Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence (SIAI) develops safe artificial intelligence software and raises awareness about its responsible, pro-human implementation. SIAI regularly hosts the Singularity Summit.Read more about the Singularity Institute. |
