Meet People Where They Are

Conducts research on collective intelligence in social animals through studies of ant-mimicking robot swarms, bridge-building army ants, and slime molds, as well as on fundamental physics including the Higgs boson and dark matter using the Large Hadron Collider.

Organizes and presents free public science talks featuring expert speakers on diverse topics including brain science, astrophysics, climate change, quantum physics, and microbiology, held at venues such as the Bell House in Brooklyn, Symphony Space in Manhattan, and Hudson River Park’s Discovery Tank, as well as via live Zoom events. Events include interactive elements such as live Q&A, themed cocktails, and prize giveaways.

Develops and curates the Scam Archive, a repository of documented real-world scam examples contributed by investigators to support research, education, and public awareness efforts.

Conducts in-depth investigations into emerging cyber threats including malware, phishing campaigns, and vulnerable infrastructure. Publishes findings on topics such as port 445 scans, npm worms like Shai-Hulud, OpenClaw vulnerabilities, and fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms to inform public understanding and mitigation strategies.

Runs high-visibility public awareness campaigns using LinkNYC kiosks, Google, Meta, and co-branded partnerships to distribute plain-language scam alerts and digital safety guidance at scale, reaching over 5 million people.

Creates and maintains no-signup, no-download cybersecurity tools such as ScamArchive, InboxSpotter, Internet Safety Center, and CyberScout that enable instant scam detection and analysis. These tools are designed to be accessible via web and WhatsApp without requiring user accounts or data transmission.

Organizes and delivers in-person and virtual workshops, CTF competitions, and Scam Search Parties to teach practical cybersecurity skills and build community resilience against digital threats.

Creates accessible, narrative-based educational content featuring a mascot named Cyber to explain real-world scams and how to avoid them through illustrated storytelling.

Offers hands-on internships in cybersecurity research, engineering, communications, and community outreach, placing participants on real projects to build practical skills and contribute to organizational missions.

Offers free, private assistance to individuals who have been scammed, generating personalized, step-by-step recovery plans based on their reported experiences. All processing occurs locally on the user's device to ensure privacy, with no storage or transmission of user data.

Provides nutritional education to students and their families via the Collective Baskets program, promoting healthy eating habits and food literacy.

Runs programs focused on community food systems, access, agriculture, sustainability, health and wellness, culinary skills, and education and training for workforce opportunities.

Provides maternal health and wellness support, including nutrition and wellness education, to pregnant and postpartum mothers through the NutriNatal initiative.

Produces a podcast in collaboration with the United Nations focused on reducing food loss and waste to support vulnerable populations.

Designs and implements strategic advocacy campaigns to reframe public understanding of climate issues, including linking extreme weather events to climate change through initiatives like the “unnatural disasters” campaign and deploying triggered media buying technology during extreme weather events to increase public engagement.

Conducts large-scale research on public beliefs, attitudes, and messaging effectiveness related to clean energy and climate change across multiple countries, using methods such as message testing, randomized controlled trials, focus groups, and ad measurement. Findings are based on studies representing 70% of the world’s population, including testing of 18 climate policies with nearly 60,000 people across 23 countries, analysis of over 3 billion served ads, and nearly 2,000 hours of individual feedback.

Deploys human-centered, research-informed marketing and advertising campaigns to shift public narratives around climate change and increase support for climate solutions. Campaigns include educational advertising, media outreach, and narrative strategies such as the "For Our Daughters" initiative and the film "Later Is Too Late," reaching millions of moderate suburban women and generating hundreds of thousands of new climate supporters.

Develops and distributes practical, research-based communication materials such as messaging guides, playbooks, tipsheets, and digital resource hubs to equip nonprofit, corporate, and media leaders with effective climate communication strategies. These include unbranded, downloadable content and social-first materials used by over 100 climate organizations.