For episode 195, we’re excited to welcome Benji Leibowitz, COO at Molecule and Co-Founder of pump.science. Benji is at the forefront of Decentralized Science (aka DeSci), a movement using blockchain to democratize research funding, unlock new discoveries, and shift power from big institutions and funders, and into the hands of scientists and the community.
In this episode, we explore:
🔬 The Problem: Science Funding Is Broken: Traditional scientific research is highly centralized, with funding controlled by large institutions like big pharma. This creates funding biases, forcing scientists to chase grants instead of pursuing the most important research. With NIH cuts and a shifting political landscape in the U.S., this problem is only getting worse.
🧪 DeSci Unlocks Open & Engaging Science: Science has traditionally been opaque, limiting public participation. DeSci changes this by making research transparent, inclusive, and engaging—allowing anyone to support, follow, and even contribute to groundbreaking discoveries in real time.
💡 IP Tokens & NFTs: A New Model for Science: DeSci empowers researchers with IP-NFTs & IP tokens, protecting their work while enabling community-driven funding and governance. Molecule’s tiered approach allows anyone—from casual supporters to expert scientists—to engage with and fund research at different levels, creating a more open and dynamic scientific ecosystem.
02:35 - To kick things off, can you start by sharing a bit about your background and journey into DeSci? Was there a specific moment or experience that sparked your passion for decentralized science?
06:20 - To lay the groundwork for the conversation, what are some of the biggest challenges scientists face today in funding and conducting research?
15:50 - Can you please give a high-level overview of Molecule, and how it aims to address these challenges?
20:50 - Why is blockchain the ideal technology for the decentralized science movement? Why couldn’t it be done without Web3 technology?
25:30 - One of the most exciting aspects of DeSci is how it enables citizen engagement in research. How do listeners start participating and funding causes they care about?
32:25 - In addition to your work at Molecule, you recently funded pump.science, which aims to gamify the funding of science. Can you explain the vision behind it and how it enables broader participation in science?
38:45 - What would be your advice for scientists who are hesitant to get involved in the DeSci movement?
44:55 - Whether listeners are scientists, funders, or community members interested in science, what is your call to action for them?
Please note: we make use of affiliate marketing to provide readers with referrals to high quality and relevant products and services.
While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More available HERE.
