The mathematics of morality

Use maths to make the future better

5-week free online fellowship exploring how you can use mathematics to best help others and multiply your positive impact.

  • Dates: 24th February to 31st March, 2024 (5 weeks finishing by Easter)

  • Who: Smart, curious, and ambitiously altruistic UK students in years 11-13 studying maths

  • Applications: Apply by Sunday 11th February, 2024

What you can expect

Oxbridge-style learning with tutorials and a cohort of smart, curious math students

Talks and Q&As with professionals using maths to tackle pressing problems

Mentorship and up to £1,000 in grant funding for alumni to pursue follow-up projects

Support with UCAS applications and Oxbridge interviews

8.7/10 Fellow overall satisfaction

Surveyed at the end of our most recent, similar course, Fellows gave an average of 8.7 when asked to rate from 1 to 10 their overall satisfaction with the Fellowship.

Plus, 84% of Fellows feel both more confident in their ability to make a positive impact and more ready to take ambitious actions as a result of participating.

Fellowship overview

    • The formula of truth: Bayes’ theorem

    • How to quantify anything with Fermi estimates

    • How to 10x your impact by choosing causes carefully

    Example resources:

    🎥 YouTube video by 3Blue1Brown: “Bayes theorem, the geometry of changing beliefs”

    📝 LessWrong forum post by Luke Muehlhauser: “Fermi Estimates”

    📚 Book by William MacAskill: Doing Good Better: Effective altruism and how you can make a difference

    • Scope insensitivity and the moral menace of neglecting numbers

    • Quantifying the scope and scale of global issues

    • Expected value and probability theory: betting on big outcomes

    Example resources:

    📊 Interactive charts by Our World in Data: “Causes of Death”

    📑 Blog post by Animal Ethics: “Scope insensitivity: failing to appreciate the numbers of those who need our help”

    💬 Interview with Hilary Greaves: “Expected value theory”

    • What’s the price of a human life? Financial models with real consequences

    • Counting neurons and other methods for weighing welfare across species

    • Predictions from the precipice: Climate modelling

    Example resources:

    📢 Media Release by the University of York: “The NHS is paying too much for new drugs”

    📝 Forum post by Adam Shriver: “Why Neuron Counts Shouldn't Be Used as Proxies for Moral Weight”

    🎦 YouTube video by metaRising: “Dystopian Futures of Astronomical Suffering”

    • Machine learning and AI: maths at the forefront of emerging tech

    • Mathematical modelling for pandemic preparedness and battling biorisk

    • Mistakes in the moral mathematics of existential risk

    Example resources:

    🎥 YouTube video by 80,000 Hours: “Could AI wipe out humanity?”

    📚 Book by Toby Ord: The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity

    🎙️ Critiques of Effective Altruism podcast episode: “Astronomical Value, Existential Risk, and Billionaire Philanthropy with David Thorstad”

    • Degrees and careers that capitalise on your strengths

    • Statistics in social science

    • Finance & quant trading: Multiply your income to maximise your impact?

    Example resources:

    🎧 Readout of an article by 80,000 Hours: “How to find the right career for you”

    📑 Directory by Leaf: “Different potentially impactful career pathways, organised by degree subjects”

    📝 Forum post by AGB: “10 years of Earning to Give”

Weekly structure

  • Dive deep into intriguing mathematical topics and advanced concepts using our curated resources, organised on our online learning platform with interactive videos, engaging quizzes, and other activities.

  • Weekly check-in and discussion with an advisor and 3-5 peers; develop your critical thinking in conversation with intelligent, interesting, like-minded teens.

    We’ll do our best to find a slot that works around your other commitments!

  • Get stuck into brain teasers and exercises that grapple with real-world issues. Get feedback and support from staff and peers.

  • Scoreboards and competition for a weekly estimation quiz about real-world questions that really matter. Win prizes!

  • Meet professionals who studied mathematics and are using what they learned to change the world.

  • Share your own knowledge plus join sessions run by Fellows and alumni! Meet inspiring peers with shared interests; collaborate on projects; discover exciting new ideas.

  • Discord channel, paired 1:1s, and opportunities to get to know peers with different backgrounds but shared passions.

  • Find study buddies and indulge in your mathematical hobbies — competitive or casual, impactful, impressive, or just intrinsically enjoyable!

Meet the speakers & staff

Leaf is supported by a wide range of experts, facilitators, and alumni to help support the growth of our Fellows.

Sanjay Joshi

Finance, ESG, and charity founder

  • Sanjay is a seasoned actuary and entrepreneur with a background in finance, financial analysis, and charity impact. He founded SoGive (charity data and analysis), Finsimco (innovative financial education), Pandemic Prevention Network (self-explanatory!) and Talk It Over Chatbot (applying AI to help people who are feeling low). He is also an Impact and ESG specialist at the investment consultancy Hymans Robertson. He studied mathematics at Cambridge University.

Noah Siegel

Google DeepMind

  • Noah is a Research Engineer at Google DeepMind. After his research at the Allen Institute for AI in Seattle, he worked on machine learning for robotics at DeepMind before switching to focus on language model reasoning and explanations as part of AI Safety and alignment research. Having studied computer science, economics, and maths as an undergraduate, he is now pursuing a PhD in Artificial Intelligence at University College London via the UCL-DeepMind joint PhD program.

Annabella Wheatley

Oxford Biosecurity Group

  • Annabella achieved undergraduate and master’s degrees in Materials Science, both from the University of Oxford, and was a committee member of Effective Altruism Oxford while studying there. She is currently a researcher at the Oxford Biosecurity Group, exploring the potential of Far UVC lighting for killing pathogens and eliminating pandemic threats. She has been teaching and tutoring maths and science for six years.

Vicky Cox

Charity Entrepreneurship

  • Vicky is a Research and Operations Analyst at Charity Entrepreneurship, which launches high-impact nonprofits by connecting entrepreneurs with effective ideas, training, and funding. She joined their incubation programme herself shortly after graduating from her degree in mathematics and actuarial science at the University of Southampton, but decided to stay on at CE rather than set up a new charity herself.

Jonah Boucher

Harvard Graduate School of Education

  • Jonah is a teacher and curriculum designer in the US. He has supported and led projects to help talented and passionate high school and college students lead impactful and fulfilling lives. Jonah recently graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and previously came first in his class (of over 500) at Hamilton College with degrees in Mathematics and Environmental Science.

Jenny Zhan

University of Cambridge

  • Jenny is a first-year Mathematics Student at the University of Cambridge. She is currently attending seminars on ethics in mathematics and supporting Effective Altruism Cambridge as a committee member. She is an alumnus of Leaf’s 2023 Changemakers Fellowship, the Non-Trivial Fellowship, and a Global Challenges Project workshop on existential risk. Jenny enjoys cybersecurity competitions and beta testing software.

The opportunities don’t end after 5 weeks

Alumni from our recent Fellowship are being supported to pursue projects like:

  • Research projects into topics they were fascinated by during the course content

  • A podcast investigating effective altruism — what it is, how it can be applied, and what its limitations are

  • A new fundraising initiative, Youth United for Good, coordinating an inter-school non-uniform day to raise money for GiveWell-recommended cost-effective charities


Plus taking follow-up opportunities* offered by Leaf like:

  • Weekly accountability calls to create a long-term career plan

  • Virtual work experience with a high-impact nonprofit

  • Up to £1,000 in grant funding plus mentorship for projects

*These follow-ups are applied for or earned, not guaranteed!

Plus, you’ll still have access to the online learning platform, the Discord channel, and your new friends after the 5 weeks end.

How our previous programmes helped

  • “Your programme was amazing. I was considering investment banking or similar, but Leaf definitely allowed me to consider actually getting involved with programmes and organisations which seek to make the world better.”

    Tomiwa

  • “I'd planned to apply to Maths and Philosophy at the beginning of 2022, but discussions at Leaf helped me decide that I was definitely going to apply to Computer Science. Since the course, I've been reading articles on AI governance, that look to the future of AI and how we need to tackle problems in the field now to avoid them becoming much larger issues later down the line.”

    Avantika

  • “The course was a really great experience which equipped me with the skills I need to take the next steps. It led me to widen my degree options, looking into subjects such as mathematics with applied physics, which can keep doors open. The follow-up support was helpful for finishing what I said I would do.”

    Zaheer

  • "Perhaps the most impactful program I’ve ever done. I was able to ponder on how to maximise my impact for the future, having learnt of new methodologies to tackle issues which permeate society today. Moreover, I was able to discuss these topics in profound depth through weekly discussion calls with like-minded fellows. The fellowship is easily the best online opportunity I've encountered."

    Ibrahim

Where Leaf alumni are now

Oxford University

Cambridge University

Harvard University

London School of Economics

Secure a place in 15 minutes

The first stage of your application is a short written form (~15 minutes). We mostly ask for basic info about you to check eligibility. At this point, we will either invite you to participate as an Independent Learner with access to our platform for self-paced exploration, or proceed with your application for the full fellowship.

If you are invited to the final stage (~45 minutes), you’ll answer a small number of thought-provoking, open-ended questions relevant to the topics of the programme, plus a series of rapid-fire, brain teaser questions. (There’s no interview!)

More questions? See our “FAQ” page.