Lossfunk Initialize

If you want to work on a crazy ambitious research project, I'm happy to incubate it.

You can join full time (in bangalore) for up to a year (I pay stipend + provide compute) or pursue your project part time remotely (I provide compute).

Who is this for

Misfits. Rebel researchers. That is, if you've thought about doing a PhD or join industry, but don't want to go through the traditional route, this is for you.

Here's how Lossfunk Initialize is different from a PhD or an industry lab:

• You spend a year chasing a clear research goal, instead of 5-6 years of doing a PhD
• You work independently on a project that you're passionate about, instead of what your advisor/company wants to get done
• You do research for the joy of discovery (with no pressure to write papers)
• You have freedom to work on ideas that might not be acceptable in traditional academia or industry
• You can pursue your project part time (I provide compute)
• No course requirements, no exams, no committee meetings. You pick up knowledge as you go along

Kinds of projects I support

• End goal to be state-of-the-art / world's best at a benchmark or a niche (e.g. beat ARC-AGI)
• A new benchmark for AI (e.g. ability of models to play new games, or logical fallacies in reasoning)
• Weird, crazy or unconventional ideas (e.g. decipher Indus Valley script or pet-to-human translation)
• Algorithmic breakthroughs in under-explored ideas of AI (e.g. predictive coding models or continual learning)
• Automated scientific discovery (e.g. discovering new physics laws, or new antibiotics)
• Automated startup creation (e.g. startups that can launch themselves)
• A new sensory modality for humans (e.g. a way to feel Earth's magnetic field, like birds)

For inspiration, here's an (ever-growing) open list of research ideas that I maintain.

What you get

• Office space in lossfunk's office in Bangalore
• Competitive stipend (if you join full time)
• Immersive discussions with other curious researchers and builders at Lossfunk
• Compute for your project (as and when needed)
• Exposure on socials (200k+ followers) when you get impressive results

What is expected from you

• Not be incremental. I aim to support crazy, ambitious goals.
• Mention primary or secondary affiliation as a researcher with lossfunk on the papers / preprints based on your research
• Release models/code as open source
• Release your preprints or projects with lossfunk branding (like here or here)
• Secondary authorship to collaborators at lossfunk (if you receive non-trivial contributions from them)

How to apply

If you want to join the program, please reach out to me with your crazy ambitious research proposal.