Spotlight: Tom
Tom Lynch Interviewed by JJ Ramberg
Barely a thing happens at New Atlantis DAO that Tom doesn’t touch. A senior at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles who has been working in Web3 since 2018, either Tom doesn’t sleep or he is working on NAD during class because he gets more done in one day than most people do in a year. His naturally curious and kind nature and incredible intellect are true assets to this project.
You are a self-described biotech nerd. Where did that interest come from?
I made a mouse glow in the dark when I was seven. While I was growing up, my father ran a biotech company, and I have vivid memories of spending time in his lab with him learning about chemistry, biology, and the scientific process. He taught me procedures for his lab, how to handle animals with respect, and how to experiment safely. I always thought biotech was cool, and now I have the opportunity to face the same challenges in Techbio.
With your dev and hardware engineering skills, you could basically go work on anything right now — why are you focused on ocean regeneration?
Oceans are really cool, and I’m getting to work on some of the most cutting edge tech on the planet through New Atlantis. Working with things like kubernetes clusters, IPFS, Nanopore sequencers and more, NA is like a nerd playground. Along with that, I’ve had a love of the ocean for a long time. I’ve held a scuba license sense 18 and I’ve been working on fish tanks all my life. Everything going on in the ocean is like one of the largest data challenges on the planet.
Are you optimistic about the prospects for improving the planet and turning things around?
TL;DR YES
I’d describe myself as an eternal optimist by necessity. Earth is a planet that I’d like to live on for years to come, and so we NEED to turn things around. I choose not to contemplate failure because I don’t believe that will help me succeed. Instead I focus my thoughts on how to improve things no matter how dire they get.
What do you like about working on the NAD project?
New Atlantis as been an incredible journey. The project has forced me to learn about cutting edge tech in so many industries, and put me in contact with incredible people. I love the atmosphere of startups, I’m a very flexible person and the environment of startups lets me leverage that to the fullest. Plus, I’m a big fan of rapid iteration and learning. New Atlantis has given me the opportunity to apply my knowledge and time to a problem that’s existential and needs solving, that helps me feel great about the purpose of my work at the end of every day. Along with that, I work with people who, while they’re significantly more accomplished than me, treat me as an equal in accomplishing our goals. I never feel like my teammates see me as less.
What is your favorite sea creature?
Oh that’s easy. It’s a flame angel fish. I had them in every single fish tank I had growing up. They’re the cutest little red fish.
You are in college right now — what are you studying?
I’m In college for Entrepreneurship at LMU’s College of Business Administration. Its a ton of fun, class sizes are small and very conceptual. I’m rewarded for the time that I engage in class, making it easier to keep up with class and New Atlantis. Most of my days start at 6:30 pst. I spend the first hour making myself a coffee, mediating, and drawing to keep my creativity alive. Then it’s time for work or school at 7:30. I’m a big fan of 8am classes because when I get out I feel like I still have a whole day ahead of me. After my workday ends around 4pm I go home to relax. I love rock climbing with my friends after a long day of work!
