Brydon Eastman

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Brydon Eastman

Big ol' nerd @ Thinking Machines

Hi I'm Brydon! Thanks for checking out my website.

tl;dr

  • I'm currently doing research at Thinking Machines Lab.
  • Previously, I did research at OpenAI
  • Before that I did a PhD in applied math (focusing on mathematical oncology) at the University of Waterloo
  • And before that, I did a math bio M.Sc. at McMaster University and an undergrad in Math and CS at Redeemer University

My current research interests leverage my Computer Science background more than my Applied Mathematics one -- though I find the parallels between Math Bio and modern ML to be fascinating and overlooked. My focus lies in posttraining research involving RL and both human and synthetic data. I am very, very interested in the idea of self-improving systems and how best to leverage humans to achieve these ends.

I've always liked the metaphor of midwife for my work -- the next era of computing is coming, and even if we wanted to stop it we couldn't -- the most impactful and high leverage place for me to be in this liminal period is in the room, helping to ensure that we collectively stick the landing, and doing everything we can to ensure that the delivery of this epochal change results in a world where humanity is exemplified, not diminished, and where the tremendous power of these systems are harnessed for the broad flourishing of all humanity, and not just for the enrichment of the lucky few.

This website contains information about my background, research interests, teaching resources, and current activities. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like to connect!