DeSci Ep #3: Why Scientists Are the Unappreciated Creator Class—with Jocelynn Pearl of LabDAO

The internet has given content creators of all kinds a way to monetize their talents. Writers have Medium. Teachers and vloggers have YouTube. 

 

But scientists don’t have a platform to earn money for their research. 

 

That’s why Dr. Jocelynn Pearl calls scientists the ‘unappreciated creator class.’ And that’s why she’s working to further the DeSci movement, leveraging Web3 technology to enable breakthrough research through better incentives.

 

A molecular and cellular biologist by training, Jocelynn serves as cofounder of LabDAO, a design marketplace for life science research, and host of The UltraRare Podcast, a show about the builders behind the decentralized science movement.

 

On this episode of Boost VC, Jocelynn joins us to explain how DeSci solves for speed of translation and communicates science better than existing systems, exploring how the movement might specifically facilitate breakthroughs around rare disease.

 

Jocelynn discusses how academia owns the best scientific minds without rewarding them appropriately and describes how DAOs offer alternatives to classic academic publishing and drug development.

 

Listen in as Jocelynn makes the case that scientists are the unappreciated creator class and learn how access to the right advisors and capital can accelerate the decentralized science movement.

 

Topics Covered

 

How Jocelynn defines science

• Process of exploring unanswered questions
• Conversation among people trained to be critical

 

How Jocelynn defines decentralized science

• Way of democratizing resources
• Communicate science better than existing systems

 

What inspired Jocelynn’s interest in DeSci

• Centralization of research inhibits progress
• Solve for speed of translation, cost reduction

 

How DeSci might facilitate breakthroughs in rare disease

• Explore drug development through DAOs
• Communication of collective knowledge

 

Leveraging DeSci to incentivize scientific research

• Change academic publishing through tokenization
• Allow patient group to co-own drug development

 

Why Jocelynn sees scientists as the unappreciated creator class

• Writers have Medium, vloggers have YouTube
• No platform for scientists to monetize content

 

What needs to change for scientists to be appreciated creators

• Activists like Seemay Chou who encourage sharing
• Alternative model to academic publishing

 

How academia owns the best minds (without rewarding them)

• Earn $30K/year working full-time in PhD program
• Does form you as scientist and provides network

 

How CROs address the lab space shortage

• Stands for contract research organization
• Farm out research can’t perform in-house

 

The challenges of establishing decentralized science

• Traditional academia and publishing will fight back
• Much work required to override existing system

 

What's stopping the DeSci space from accelerating faster

• Struggles to bring in advising and capital
• Working on projects outside day jobs

 

Jocelynn’s definition of success 

• Lasting change in scientific ecosystem
• Pivot how progress happens 

 

Connect with Jocelynn Pearl

 

Jocelynn’s Website https://www.jocelynnpearl.com/

LabDAO https://www.labdao.xyz/

LabDAO on Twitter https://twitter.com/lab_dao

LabDAO on GitHu