Field builder · Science policy · Claymont, Delaware · Est. 2022
Speculative Technologies is a nonprofit industrial research lab for public good that works to create the missing “institutional infrastructure” for ambitious, coordinated scientific and technological programs. It aims to move promising but “big-if-true” work out of limbo by (1) developing research leaders who can run long-horizon programs and (2) incubating specific coordinated research programs until they have an institutional home elsewhere (e.g., government programs, startups, or larger organizations).
Its current flagship vehicle for leader development is the four-month Brains fellowship (a research accelerator and training program for starting coordinated research programs). The organization also publishes operational guidance intended for program leadership and funders, including the Research Leader’s Playbook, and it runs multiple technical research programs in areas such as microelectronics and materials/manufacturing roadmaps.
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A new essay describing a framework for thinking about healthy research ecosystems using metaphor (“bubbling cauldrons” and “transient strike teams”).
The Hardcore Institute of Technology (What the space academy should be)A proposal-style post arguing for a “Hardcore Institute of Technology” model for elite technical education centered on serious technology research.
“Dumbing down” science doesn’t make it more accessible (Advice for communicating science when the details matter)An essay focused on how scientific communication should preserve technical detail to avoid undermining correctness and evaluation by experts and funders.
Brains Showcase 2026Announcement of Speculative Technologies’ fourth Brains capstone showcase, describing it as a capstone event for Brains Fellows.
Poking Holes in the Mirror (Aaron Tohuvavohu's Mission to Make Space Telescopes Abundant)An essay about telescope-time scarcity and a vision for abundant space telescopes; includes a discussion of programmatic constraints and the proposed path to scaling telescopes.
Fungible Factories: From Interchangeable Parts to Interchangeable SpecsA talk written-up as an essay arguing for a manufacturing “paradigm” framed around software-defined specifications and reconfigurable production.