Category Archives: Science

A year of inaction: why has the Royal Society allowed itself to be hollowed out by Elon Musk?

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Stephen

Today, one year has passed since I published an open letter, signed by almost 3,500 members of the scientific community, asking the Royal Society to deal meaningfully with breaches of its code of conduct by Elon Musk FRS. Twelve months … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Science & Politics, Science culture | 2 Comments

Critique of comments by the President of the Royal Society on the Musk Affair

Posted on January 14, 2026 by Stephen

From interviews that were published last week by the Financial Times and The Guardian, I get the sense that the new President of the Royal Society, Professor Sir Paul Nurse, is almost as sick of the Musk affair as I … Continue reading →

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A Quiet Light

Posted on January 10, 2026 by Stephen

I read recently – I can’t remember where – that people who say “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like” actually do know quite a bit about art. More than average at any rate. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | 2 Comments

Books of 2025

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Stephen

My annual round-up of the books I read in 2025 was pre-empted by a request from Research Professional News (RPN) to write 250 words on my favourite reads of the past year. The article, which includes selections by others, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Science | 2 Comments

Photos of 2025

Posted on December 28, 2025 by Stephen

My annual selection of favourites from the photographs I took in the past year is now available on Flickr. Do people still use Flickr? I have broken my usual rule of not including family photos because of the very exceptional … Continue reading →

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Let’s get negative about scholarly publishing

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Stephen

Ironically, in the week when my co-authors and I are publishing a paper proposing framework to tackle the reluctance of researchers to publish negative results, one of the most important null results of recent times – the lack of any credible link … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | 1 Comment

Conduct Unbecoming – how can the Royal Society escape its Musk box?

Posted on June 19, 2025 by Stephen

Four months after my open letter calling on the Royal Society to take action over Elon Musk FRS’s breaches of their code of conduct had attracted thousands of signatures from the scientific community, but only a very muted response from that most … Continue reading →

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An open letter to the President of the Royal Society – time to stand up for your values

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Stephen

Update (17:00 03 Mar): all members of the UK or international scientific community were invited to indicate their support by signing the letter. The opportunity to do so closed at 17:00 UK time on 03 March. The final tally of … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | 51 Comments

Trump, DEI and Culture – what’s the vibe shift?

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Stephen

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 →

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Compose yourself

Posted on November 23, 2024 by Stephen

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 →

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Leaving Imperial

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Stephen

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 →

Posted in Science, Scientific Life | 10 Comments

Abandon the REF?

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Stephen

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 →

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