GESA PhDs in Masterclass with Sir John Beddington

Professor Sir John Beddington, former UK Government Chief Scientific Advisor and current Global Academies Advisor provided a masterclass for six Global Academies PhD students to discuss research impacts.

Hosted by GHA's Dr Liz Grant and University of Edinburgh Impact Analysist Sarah Morton, this was an opportunity for PhD students to discuss their research, its focus and importantly its impact over the next ten years.

Alice Hague and Neil Chalmers attended as GESA PhD students. You can read their reflections on meeting Sir Beddington and how it felt to reflect on their own research impacts in our blog

“It was great to have the opportunity to discuss my research with someone who has such a broad overview of research and its potential impacts both in the UK and globally. As an interdisciplinary researcher, it was also great to meet with other PhD students working through the Global Academies networks, and I gained a better understanding of some of the many ways in which PhD research can and does have impact in addressing some of the world’s greatest challenges.”

My own PhD is focussed on the demand for low carbon food products with regards to how a carbon consumption tax may help to achieve this. Sir John offered the useful advice of incorporating into my thesis how alcohol taxes are essentially too low based on the evidence of the associated problems high consumption of alcohol can cause. Sir John emphasised that quality academic research is what should influence government policy and not evidence based on hearsay.