Philip Trammell
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Philip Trammell
ABOUT ME
I am an economics DPhil student at Oxford and research affiliate at GPI, an Oxford research institute. My research touches decision theory, game theory, and growth theory. I graduated from the MPhil with distinction, where I won the prize for best thesis, and I have undergraduate degrees in economics and mathematics from Brown, where I also won the prize for best econ thesis. When I'm not trying to be productive, I sometimes find myself writing, long-distance cycling, or oversleeping.

CONTACT


RECENT DOINGS
Global Priorities Institute (University of Oxford)
·  Doing research in microeconomic theory and growth theory intended to be decision-relevant for those trying to do the most good
·  Designed and taught a summer 2022 course on Topics in Economic Theory and Global Prioritization (“ETGP”). Course materials, feedback, and other information can be found here
Patient Philanthropy Fund (Founders Pledge)
·  On the management committee of a new fund, inspired by my research, that aims to invest for a long time and then support longtermist philanthropic projects in the future
·  Featured in Vox
Fama-Miller Center for Research in Finance (Chicago Booth)
·  Analyzed data for research projects on credit ratings and impact investing
Banter
·  Designed and built Banter, a web platform for understanding political controversies
NERA
·  Performed data analysis central to large financial litigation cases – primarily the Citibank ISDAFix rate manipulation case, since settled for $250MM
Attended Brown University
·  Magna cum laude (top 20% of class)
·  Senior thesis won award for best economics thesis my year
·  Research-assisted several distinguished professors, including David Weil, Jesse Shapiro, and Glenn Loury. At least some of them love me now
· · ·
Some other things I've done
·  Designed a font, which apparently got over forty thousand downloads at some point
·  Biked from New York to Providence (193 miles) in one day
·  Pledged to give everything I earn above $37,411/year (September 2023 inflation-adjustment) to the most effective charities possible [+]

I pledge to consume a maximum of $30,000 per year in September 2017 terms, following US inflation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and, if I’m ever close to the line, up to 50% of the cost-of-living adjustment between Chicago (where I was in September 2017) and my current place of residence. Educational, extraordinary medical, and moderate work-related expenses do not count toward this maximum. I am also fortunate to have inherited savings which, on growing 2% per year, would cover a retirement at inflation-adjusted $30,000 per year. In the event of higher returns, the excess is donated; in the event of lower returns, donations slow until the gap is filled. Anything remaining after my death will be donated.
ABOUT ME
I am an economics DPhil student at Oxford and research affiliate at GPI, an Oxford research institute. My research touches decision theory, game theory, and growth theory. I graduated from the MPhil with distinction, where I won the prize for best thesis, and I have undergraduate degrees in economics and mathemetics from Brown, where I also won the prize for best econ thesis. When I'm not trying to be productive, I sometimes find myself writing, long-distance cycling, or oversleeping.
CONTACT
pawtrammell@gmail.com
LinkedIn  ·  Facebook
Anonymous feedback
RECENT DOINGS
Global Priorities Institute (University of Oxford)
·  Doing research in microeconomic theory and growth theory intended to be decision-relevant for those trying to do the most good
·  Designed and taught a summer 2022 course on Topics in Economic Theory and Global Prioritization (“ETGP”). Course materials, feedback, and other information can be found here
Patient Philanthropy Fund (Founders Pledge)
·  On the management committee of a new fund, inspired by my research, that aims to invest for a long time and then support longtermist philanthropic projects in the future
·  Featured in Vox
Fama-Miller Center for Research in Finance (Chicago Booth)
·  Analyzed data for research projects on credit ratings and impact investing
Banter
·  Designed and built Banter, a web platform for understanding political controversies
NERA
·  Performed data analysis central to large financial litigation cases – primarily the Citibank ISDAFix rate manipulation case, since settled for $250MM
Attended Brown University
·  Magna cum laude (top 20% of class)
·  Senior thesis won award for best economics thesis my year
·  Research-assisted several distinguished professors, including David Weil, Jesse Shapiro, and Glenn Loury. At least some of them love me now
. . .
Some other things I've done
·  Designed a font, which apparently got over forty thousand downloads at some point
·  Biked from New York to Providence (193 miles) in one day
·  Pledged to give everything I earn above $37,411/year (September 2023 inflation-adjustment) to the most effective charities possible [+]

I pledge to consume a maximum of $30,000 per year in September 2017 terms, following US inflation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and, if I'm ever close to the line, up to 50% of the cost-of-living adjustment between Chicago (where I was in September 2017) and my current place of residence. Educational, extraordinary medical, and moderate work-related expenses do not count toward this maximum. I am also fortunate to have inherited savings which, on growing 2% per year, would cover a retirement at inflation-adjusted $30,000 per year. In the event of higher returns, the excess is donated; in the event of lower returns, donations slow until the gap is filled. Anything remaining after my death will be donated.
Published papers
Trammell, Philip (2021). “Fixed-point Solutions to the Regress Problem in Normative Uncertainty”. Synthese 198(2): 1177-99. [Link]
Working papers
Economic Growth under Transformative AI (with Anton Korinek) [Working paper (GPI, NBER), Podcast & writeup (Hear This Idea)]
Existential Risk and Growth (with Leopold Aschenbrenner) [Link]
Dynamic Public Good Provision under Time Preference Heterogeneity: Theory and Applications to Philanthropy [Link]
Papers in progress
Ethical Consumerism [Link]
Labor, Capital, and Patience in the Optimal Growth of Social Movements (with Nuño Sempere) [Link]
Weak Betweenness and Misleading Information [Link]
New Products and Long-term Welfare [Link]
Other
Other material on patient philanthropy [Podcast (80,000 Hours), Report, Talk, Disbursement tool]
Normative Uncertainty, Normalization, and the Normal Distribution [Link]
Simplifying Cluelessness [Link]
Decentralized Betting under Heterogeneous State-contingent Preferences [Link]
RSS
Some informal thoughts
about economics, philosophy, effective altruism, and other stuff I know less about than I think I do








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