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Author Archives: Stephen
Response to the Free Speech Union’s article on my letter to the Royal Society
The Free Speech Union (FSU) has published an article about my open letter to the Royal Society regarding the evident contraventions of its code of conduct by one of their Fellows, Elon Musk FRS. Unfortunately, Frederick Attenborough’s piece contains errors, … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Science & Politics
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An open letter to the President of the Royal Society – time to stand up for your values
Earlier today, I sent the letter below to Professor Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society. The letter expresses my deep concerns at the ongoing failure of the Royal Society to recognise that Elon Musk FRS has acted in contravention … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in science
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Trump, DEI and the REF – what is the vibe shift?
There is an air of defeatism in progressive circles today, the day Donald Trump will be sworn in for a second term as President of the United States of America. Some of the reasons behind this sense of frustration and … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in science
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Books of 2024 – a disappointing year
With a handful of notable exceptions, my book reading in the past year has not been an altogether happy experience. I worked my way through 18 titles in all, work being the operative verb in many cases. That low tally … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in book review
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Photos of 2024
As is my habit my favourite photographs from the year just past can now be found on an album on Flickr. There are sixty-three in all, selected from a total of about 1800 which is quite a drop from my … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Photography
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Compose yourself
Apologies, this will be obvious to some, but I have seen enough so-so images on social media to convince me there are others who could post much better pictures if they took just a little bit more care. Smartphone cameras … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in science
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Leaving Imperial
Today is my last day at Imperial College London. It marks the completion of exactly 29 years as a member of staff. I joined Imperial as a young lecturer in Physics on 1st November 1995 and have travelled a long … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in science, Scientific Life
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Abandon the REF?
On Tuesday evening I was asked by Research Professional News for my views on a new report from think tank UKDayOne, which is calling for the abolition of the Research Excellence Framework, unlovingly known as the REF. The report is … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in science
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Can scientific productivity be optimized?
This is a repost of an article that was originally published on the Research on Research Institute website. Comments welcome! It is a truth universally acknowledged that scientists who take greater risks are more likely to make important discoveries. … Continue reading Continue reading
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On the Freedom of Misunderstanding of Speech
“The Ruffian” is great title for Ian Leslie’s Substack given his predilection for roughing up lazy thinking. I first came across him as the author of “Conflicted”, an excellent book about how to disagree constructively, a practice he frequently deploys … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Equality Diversity & Inclusion, Science & Art, Science Culture, Scientific Life
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