Convergent Research
Joseph Fridman is a seasoned communications professional with extensive experience across various sectors. Currently serving as the Head of Communications at Convergent Research and leading a team at the John Templeton Foundation, Joseph is also an advisor at Empathable, where the focus is on team development. Joseph has freelanced for Pushkin Industries in multiple capacities, including studio producer and fact-checker for notable podcasts. Prior roles include Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs at Ginkgo Bioworks, as well as Communications Editor at Cambridge University Press. Joseph holds a Doctor of Law (JD) from the City University of New York School of Law and has additional degrees in Cognitive Science and Media Advocacy, along with business and finance credentials.
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Convergent Research
New types of organization are needed to accelerate scientific progress. Academic research groups and startup companies are essential to science and technology development. But there are some projects they just aren’t suited for. A university astronomy lab couldn’t have launched the Hubble Space Telescope on its own, nor would a venture-backed startup have built the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Hubble and CERN illustrate a common pattern in science: a need for projects that are bigger than an academic lab can undertake, more coordinated than a loose consortium or themed department, and not directly profitable enough to be a venture-backed startup or industrial R&D project. Focused Research Organizations (FROs) are a new type of scientific institution designed to fill this gap.