Edinburgh speaker series seminar

Speaker: Niki Vermeulen (University of Edinburgh)

Title: Engaging with the Sciences: From Systems Biology to Seaweed Research

Abstract: This presentation focusses on a special feature that the History and Philosophy of Science and Science and Technology Studies have in common: the trajectories of our engagement with the sciences. Many of us entertain close links to a particular field or group of scientists; our scholarly identities build around thematic specialisations and trans-field collaborations. Sometimes such engagement lasts a whole career, while in other cases scholars follow emerging technologies accompanying hypes and funding. Based on my own dis/engagement with systems biology over the years, I will focus on my individual trajectory of dis/engagement, before broadening out to various patterns of engagement across disciplines, based on a collaboration with Karen Kastenhofer on the topic. Through a mixed-methods approach, we traced patterns and moments of dis/engagement, bringing distinct patterns to the fore, relating to disciplinary affiliations as well as career stages. We hope our work provides fertile grounds for further discussion, as it seems warranted to explicitly reflect on the temporal patterns of dis/engagement and to look at possible ramifications for individuals, collectives and the innovation system at large.