James Wilsdon, Sheffield University
Wednesday, 4 May 2016 at 15:00 in the Large Operon, EMBL Heidelberg
James Wilsdon, Sheffield University
Experiments in democracy: why should we care about public engagement in science?
Abstract
The need for scientists to escape the lab or the seminar room from time to time, and talk to the wider public about the work that they do, and why it matters, is now such an established feature of the research landscape that it’s easy to forget how far and fast we’ve travelled. From paternalistic talk of “public understanding” of science in the 1980s, through the bumps and scrapes of battles over GM foods and climate change, we’ve reached a point where the diversity, volume and intensity of conversations between researchers and the public – at schools, festivals and in pubs; on blogs and twitter; on TV, radio and YouTube – is one of the strengths of European science.
Over the past decade, we’ve seen a flowering of experiments in public dialogue, and a growing body of expertise in how, when and why to bring public voices into scientific and technological debates. There's still more that could be done to embed such approaches in the everyday practices of science and of policymaking. And ever so often, an issue erupts, where the heat and immediacy of political controversy means that hard-fought lessons are sidestepped or ignored. But this is one area where scientific and policy cultures have made tangible moves in the right direction.
Drawing on a range of European and international examples, James Wilsdon will review the progress we’ve seen in public engagement, identify lessons learnt, and highlight obstacles to be overcome if we’re to strengthen further the relationship between science, technology and democracy over the next ten years. His talk will be of interest to all those who care about the links between science and society.
Biography
James Wilsdon joined the University of Sheffield in January 2016 as Director of Impact and Engagement for the Faculty of Social Sciences, which he combines with a role as Professor of Research Policy in the Department of Politics. He is also Director of the Nexus Network, a £1.8m ESRC initiative to link research & policy across food, energy, water and the environment. Since 2013, he has been Chair of the Campaign for Social Science, and he led the working group for its 2015 report The Business of People.
James recently chaired a review of the role of metrics in the management of the UK’s research system, which published its final report The Metric Tide in July 2015. Building on this, he is now leading an expert panel for the European Commission on the role of altmetrics. He is also on the advisory board of Scientists for EU. Previously, James worked as Professor of Science and Democracy at SPRU, University of Sussex (2011-2015), Director of Science Policy at the Royal Society (2008-2011) and Head of Science and Innovation at Demos (2001-2008). His research interests include the role of evidence in policymaking; the politics and practice of scientific advice; interdisciplinarity, particularly between natural and social sciences; and science and research policy in the UK, EU and China. James contributes regularly to the media and is one of the editors of the Guardian's 'Political Science' blog. In 2015, he was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. You can find him on twitter @jameswilsdon.