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.
Our core team prioritizes impact-orientation, balancing curiosity with rigor.
OpenResearch works side-by-side with interdisciplinary academic partners to enrich our work.
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
David Broockman
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley
Sarah Miller
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan
Sandra Smith
Qualitative Principal Investigator
Daniel & Florence Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
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