OpenResearch is a nonprofit research organization with a startup mentality.

We ask complex, open-ended questions. 

What we do 

Drawing on the strengths of traditional academic research and the creativity and problem-solving characteristics of startups, we ask big, open-ended questions and gather comprehensive data to fill pivotal knowledge gaps.

Our approach 

We partner with individuals, nonprofits, and institutional partners to gather and communicate comprehensive and nuanced outcomes. We aim to share findings and insights widely and make our data sets available to benefit the research community.

Our history 

OpenResearch (formerly Y Combinator Research) was founded in 2015 to pursue fundamental and open-ended research projects that are rarely possible in traditional research environments. The organization is independent of Y Combinator and was renamed in 2020 to better reflect its independence. Since its founding, the organization has incubated several notable projects, including Human Advancement Research Community (HARC) led by Alan Kay, Dynamicland led by Bret Victor, and the Unconditional Cash Study led by Elizabeth Rhodes, the latter of which is our current focus.

OpenResearch works side-by-side with interdisciplinary academic partners to enrich our work.

Photo of Alex Bartik

Alex Bartik

Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Research Affiliate of the Poverty Lab at the University of Chicago

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David Broockman

Principal Investigator

Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley

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Sarah Miller

Principal Investigator

Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan

Photo of Sandra Smith

Sandra Smith

Qualitative Principal Investigator

Daniel & Florence Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University

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Eva Vivalt

Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto

Jessica Wiederspan

Qualitative Principal Investigator

Senior Qualitative Researcher, PhD in Sociology and Social Work from the University of Michigan

An assembly of experts guides our research.

Marianne Bertrand

Chris P. Dialynas Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Willard Graham Faculty Scholar at the University of Chicago

Ed Dolan

Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center

Greg Duncan

Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine

Natalie Foster

Co-chair of the Economic Security Project

David Grusky

Barbara Kimball Browning Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, Professor of Sociology, Senior Fellow of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Director of the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, and coeditor of Pathways Magazine

Lawrence Katz

Elisabeth Allison Professor of Economics at Harvard University

Connie Razza

Executive Director at Future Currents

Luke Shaefer

Director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, School of Social Work and Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Eldar Shafir

Class of 1987 Professor in Behavioral Science and Public Policy, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Inaugural Director of the Kahneman-Treisman Center for Behavioral Science & Public Policy at Princeton University

Michael Strain

Director of Economic Policy Studies and John G. Searle Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute

Tavneet Suri

Associate Professor of Applied Economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management

Alford Young, Jr.

Associate Director of Center for Social Solutions, Arthur F Thurnau Professor, Edgar G. Epps Collegiate Professor of Sociology, Professor of Afroamerican and African studies, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Michigan

Sandra Smith

Daniel & Florence Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University

Rachel Schneider

Omidyar Network Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program (FSP)

Our board is instrumental in supporting the mission of the organization and in advocating for the importance of research.

Sam Altman

Board Member

OpenResearch

Chris Clark

Board Member; Chief Operating Officer

OpenResearch