CHIRP Presentation Evening: Biosecurity & AI & Animal Welfare
The Cambridge High Impact Research Project (CHIRP) is an 8-week mentored research programme run by Effective Altruism Cambridge, where teams of Cambridge students produce policy-relevant research on some of the world's most pressing problems.
Three teams will present their findings after eight weeks of intensive work with expert mentors. Presentations will be assessed by a panel of expert judges, with prizes awarded from a £300 prize pool.
This is an open event and a great opportunity to see what high-impact student research looks like at Cambridge. Whether you're already part of EA Cambridge, thinking about joining a fellowship in Michaelmas 2026, or just curious, you're welcome. Bring friends.
Pizza provided after presentations.
Presentations
Beyond Homo Economicus: Rethinking How We Model Powerful AI Agents
Mentor: SJ Beard · Borysiewicz Interdisciplinary Fellow, BBC New Generation Thinker, Advisor to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Future Generations
AI safety research typically assumes agents are "rational" in the narrow economic sense. This team applies alternative frameworks, from Kantian to Weberian rationality, to canonical AI safety problems and asks what changes when we drop that assumption.
Can We Trust AI Protein Design? Evaluating the Benchmarks
Mentor: Elias Nehring · Computational Biologist at ETH Zürich, ERA AI×Biosecurity Research Fellow, published in Frontiers in AI
Machine learning models can now design novel proteins, with implications for both medicine and biosecurity. This team assesses whether the benchmarks used to evaluate these models are fit for purpose, and what that means for dual-use risk.
The Hidden Cost of Informal Markets: Animal Welfare in the Phillipines Poultry Supply Chain
Mentor: George Bridgwater · Co-Founder and Head of Research at Animal Ask, former Research Analyst at Charity Entrepreneurship
Most animal welfare research focuses on industrial farming in wealthy countries. This team investigates welfare conditions and potential interventions in informal poultry markets in the Philippines where millions of animals are traded with minimal oversight.
About CHIRP
CHIRP pairs teams of Cambridge students with expert mentors to produce 3,000-word policy briefs on questions that matter. The programme aims to equip participants with the skills, confidence, and connections to pursue impactful research careers. Applications for Michaelmas 2026 will open later this year.
Online Meeting Link: meet.google.com/sgu-tzjr-etb