Maybe it would help people to understand why you're posting on HN? You don't seem to have a history here, so what is HN to you other than "convenient forum for access to a bunch of tech people who probably have decent money available to donate?" Sorry for casting that in the worst possible light, but I figured it's better to steel man the theoretical opposition to supporting you. It sounds like you're doing good work, so yay, and congrats.
That's fair too. I have a PhD in Computational science. I read HN every morning. I've been lurking here since around 2018 and just made an account recently.
Honestly I made my first social media account about 4 months ago just to prove I was a real person after I finished my PhD and was applying for the next steps. I've never been one to post on the internet or engage with social media. I don't really know the etiquette of any other social site so I figured I would reach out here first since it felt familiar.