The institute is dedicated to multidisciplinary study of science and the humanities and supports the work of independent scientists and scholars.

[1] The institute consists of research scholars from a range of fields and disciplines, such as computational economics, high energy physics, earth sciences, theology, law, history and philosophy.

The institute's original mission was to aggregate "fractional scholarship" happening outside the academy by creating a new model to support independent researchers.

[1] The name "Ronin" derives from the legend of Rōnin: samurais who broke with the code of feudal Japan by refusing to commit suicide upon the deaths of their masters.

Each member of the advisory board leads a working group that focuses on one essential aspect of the community: governance, communications, events, infrastructure, membership, and research.