ABOUT
“There is a growing movement called effective altruism. It’s important because it combines both the heart and the head.”
Peter Singer, The why and how of effective altruism (TED Conference, 2013)
The goal of effective altruism is simple: to do a lot of good by using evidence and reason. We all have limited resources - be those financial, motivational or time resources - which we can devote to trying to improve the world. Aspiring effective altruists try to answer the question: given our limited resources, how can we make use of them to improve the world?
Effective altruism invites people to think strategically about how to use their resources to do a lot of good. It also invites people to think big. Saving lives, improving the health of many, and helping to safeguard the future of humanity are more within reach than many of us ever suspected. Making a real, measurable difference in the world is possible, with the aid of evidence and research. That's an amazing ability to have.
There's no single cause that effective altruism advocates for. At an effective altruism meetup, you'll meet people who care about global poverty, people who are working on animal welfare, and those who are doing research into how to protect the earth for future generations. The defining feature of aspiring effective altruists is that they try to use evidence and careful reasoning to arrive at their goals, and to work out how to best meet them.
If you want to make the world a better place, and if you're curious about how you can use rationality in order to do that, effective altruism is a perfect fit for you. To find out more, get started with the following links, or watch philosopher Will MacAskill's Ted talk about effective altruism below.
ABOUT US
Effective Altruism Melbourne was started when small groups of people in Melbourne decided to meet up to talk about how to improve the world. From these humble beginnings, the organisation has grown substantially. It was incorporated in 2015 to ensure its future sustainability and to allow it to best represent the views and needs of all aspiring effective altruists in Melbourne, through the democratic processes enshrined in its constitution.
Effective Altruism Melbourne's aims are:
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To increase awareness of effective altruism ideas
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To provide support for effective altruism causes
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To serve as a local representative body for the global effective altruism movement
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To provide a forum for people to learn about the ideas of effective altruism
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To foster a welcoming and diverse community
Throughout Effective Altruism's history, it has engaged in many different activities in the course of pursuing these aims. Hundreds of effective altruists have attended dozens of Effective Altruism Melbourne's events, public lectures, discussion groups and social events. Effective Altruism Melbourne has twice hosted the annual EAGx Australia conference, featuring speakers such as Peter Singer AC (Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University), Catherine Hollander (Senior Research Analyst, GiveWell), Rob Wiblin (Director of Research, 80,000 Hours), and Dr Meredith Doig (President, Rationalist Society of Australia). Other activities have included fundraising for highly effective charities, a 2017 submission to the Australian Foreign Policy White Paper, and assisting effective altruism-related university clubs with their projects.
OUR TEAM
Sam
President
Excited to be coming back for a second time as President, Sam has been around the EA community since 2022. He is currently a software developer for Tearfund Australia, a Christian global poverty charity. He's currently on a quest to read one book and cook one vegan meal from every country in the world. Sam loves learning and thinking about global poverty and economic models and statistics, and has several spreadsheets and databases that govern his life. He has also previously done work quantifying uncertainty in GiveWell's cost-effectiveness models.
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Arshia
Vice-President
Arshia first came across EA concepts during an undergraduate human rights subject that featured Peter Singer's renowned "Famine, Affluence and Morality" essay on its reading list. She currently works in public policy and had a previous career in finance. She enjoys dancing (salsa, bachata and bollywood), pet sitting cute animals, reading novels, and exploring Melbourne's wonderful food and bar scene.
EJ
Treasurer
EJ has a background in chemistry research but is pivoting his career towards AI safety research. Alongside ensuring the safe and equitable development of AI, he is also passionate about social and economic equality, sustainability, and making the world a more just, free and peaceful place. When he's not worrying about the state of the world, he enjoys playing boardgames, solving riddles, and reading rationalist fanfiction.
Callum
Secretary
Callum is a tech consultant. At work, he takes great pleasure in adding to his toolset of skills. As an EA, he is interested in multiple cause areas, including global health and poverty, AI safety, pandemic preparedness and animal welfare, among others. He is an avid reader, particularly of non-fiction audiobooks (he is currently enjoying reading Caro's Master of the Senate).
Nathan
General Committee
Nathan is a business consultant and leadership coach with experience across the public and private sectors. He became interested in effective altruism through Peter Singer’s work and is particularly interested in applying EA principles within the business community. His current cause-area interests include global health and poverty, animal welfare, countering modern slavery and AI safety. He enjoys distance running, reading (audiobooks count!) and travel.
Glenn
General Committee
Glenn is a primary school teacher and also has a background in physiotherapy. He is interested in animal welfare and global health, as well as education. Outside of EA, he enjoys underwater hockey, knitting, sewing, long distance running, and cryptic crosswords.
Morgyn
General Committee Member
Morgyn joined EA Melbourne in 2025 and has been enjoying getting to know the community and learning about different cause areas. She works as a social worker and enjoys books, board games and trivia.
POLICIES
We care a lot about the wellbeing of our community. We aim to create events and spaces in which all people feel welcome, and which allow for productive and enjoyable engagement by all community members. The following policies exist to support these aims. All participants in our events and spaces (including online spaces) are bound by these policies during their participation.
Click on each policy to view it in a separate window.