Michael Nielsen is a scientist who helped pioneer quantum computing and the modern open science movement. His areas of interest are metascience, programmable matter, and tools for thought. He is the recent co-author of a book-length essay, “A Vision of Metascience”, investigating the ways in which the social processes of science can become self-improving. All his work is united by a broader interest in tools that help people think and create, individually and collectively. He is a research fellow at the Astera Institute in the San Francisco Bay Area.