Does it focus only on biology?

While it originated in a bio-research context, the decision-making framework is applicable across all disciplines of science and engineering.

How does this help with research roadblocks?

The skill provides specific modules for 'Problem Inversion' and 'Adversity Planning' to help researchers frame obstacles as opportunities and find strategic workarounds.

Who should use the Scientific Problem Selection skill?

It is designed for graduate students, postdocs, Principal Investigators, and scientific startup founders who need to make high-stakes research decisions.

Can this skill generate documents for grant applications?

Yes, it produces tangible outputs like Risk Assessment Matrices and Project Communication Packages that are ideal for grant cycles and pitches.

What framework is this skill based on?

It is based on Fischbach & Walsh's 'Problem choice and decision trees in science and engineering' (Cell, 2024), originally developed for BioE 395 at Stanford.

Scientific Problem Selection

Name: Scientific Problem Selection
Author: anthropics

byanthropics

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8,000

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生産性とワークフロー

Guides researchers through a systematic framework for ideation, risk assessment, and strategic decision-making to maximize scientific impact.

Based on the Fischbach & Walsh framework published in Cell (2024), this skill helps researchers prioritize 'problem choice' over 'execution quality' to ensure scientific efforts lead to substantial breakthroughs. It offers a structured conversational environment for pitching new ideas, troubleshooting stalled projects, and making high-level strategic decisions. By utilizing nine specialized sub-skills—including intuition pumps, risk assessment matrices, and parameter strategies—it bridges the gap between years of laboratory execution and the critical days of project planning, helping scientists move projects toward higher feasibility and greater impact.

主な機能

01Parameter Optimization: Helps researchers determine which variables to fix and which to keep flexible for maximum progress.

02Risk & Feasibility Analysis: Identifies project bottlenecks and defines clear success metrics through structured assessment.

03Systematic Ideation: Uses 'Intuition Pumps' to generate and refine high-impact research ideas.

048,000 GitHub stars

05Strategic Troubleshooting: Navigates project roadblocks using decision trees and problem inversion strategies.

06Structured Outputs: Generates formal research plans, adversity playbooks, and communication packages for PIs or investors.

ユースケース

01Principal Investigators (PIs) evaluating new lab directions or grant proposal ideas before committing resources.

02Postdocs or startup founders troubleshooting stalled research projects or planning pivots in response to unexpected data.

03Graduate students selecting or refining a thesis topic to ensure high impact and manageable risk.

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins scientific-problem-selection

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT

Download Skill