Building a Science of Questions
If I had an hour to solve a problem, I would spend fifty-five minutes determining the proper question.
Questions shape what becomes visible, what is investigated, what is funded, and ultimately what societies come to know. They are fundamental not only to scientific inquiry but to a wide range of sectors and practices—from education and journalism to policymaking, medicine, law, and business, among others.
Despite this foundational role, questions are seldom treated as objects of systematic study. Established fields examine intelligence, knowledge production, and decision-making, yet few, if any, take questions themselves as their subject.
How should we define a good question? Which questions are most likely to serve as stepping stones toward breakthrough insights? Who determines which questions matter most? In short, what do we actually know about questions?
Questions Lab (Q-Lab) is the first multidisciplinary initiative dedicated to establishing questions as a field of study and practice, understanding how questions emerge, how they evolve, which questions make the greatest impact, and how they shape the trajectory of knowledge across disciplines and generations, in order to help individuals and institutions navigate complexity, deliberate more thoughtfully, and set better priorities.
What We Do
Building the theoretical and empirical foundations of a science of questions. This includes novel research on the role of questioning in society, what makes a good question, and how questions emerge among other topics. We are curating a research agenda for questions to help advance the field.
Developing methods and tools that help institutions ask and act on better questions. We are developing taxonomies for defining and prioritizing questions across high-impact fields and toolkits to help institutions integrate questions-led approaches within their decision making processes. Additionally, we have extended our 100 Questions Initiative for prioritizing questions across more domains.
Equipping individuals and organizations with the capacity to question more effectively. We host Q-Labs to improve question fluency across several domains and industries.
The Q-Lab Substack
Essays on the science and practice of questions — the invisible infrastructure that determines what societies study, know, govern, and imagine.
Vol. 01
We live in a paradoxical era.
Resources
Articles, essays, methodologies, and field notes on how inquiry shapes the future and the science of questions.
2026
Format: blogRead our announcement blog outlining the rationale and ideas behind the launch of Q-Lab: the need for a new initiative to advance the science of questions. The capacity to ask well is often assumed, yet what do we actually know about questions?
2026
Format: blogMakes the case for innovating and institutionalizing how we define questions in the age of artificial intelligence.
2026
Format: papersAn insert in Siegel Family Endowment’s white paper explaining the need for a science of questions and its six-step methodology.
2025
Format: blogOutlines 10 priority questions to guide women’s health research and innovation, stemming from the 100 Questions initiative.
Contact Us
We are happy to develop Q-Labs, questions fluency workshops, 100 Questions initiatives for new domains and research areas. Please email us with any inquiries.
Get in Touch
