High self-esteem.

Sociology is learned very quickly. Engineering is a bit slower, but there's less benefit to it. Physics, on the other hand, provides both shields, research speed, and good weapons. As for racial bonuses, I would recommend choosing those that give bonuses to leaders. The others have very little impact. +10% research? That's just one extra research lab on the planet. As a penalty, you can safely take slow migration. Among the ethics, I advise choosing materialists, due to their useful unique technology and the fact that they don't have mood penalties from equal rights with synthetics. Synthetics are far superior to any organic species, except for specifically modified, non-sentient species designed for a specific role. However, the latter will only perform well in one task, while synthetics can handle everything. Furthermore, this unlocks the Directorate for the game, providing greater flexibility in choosing technologies for research.