Tyndall Manchester and the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR) would like to invite you to attend a seminar by Professor James Wilsdon entitled ‘The science and art of scientific advice’ on Thursday 21^st May (room C1, George Begg Building, Sackville Street) at 4.00pm.

Professor James Wilsdon, Professor of Science and Democracy in SPRU (Science Policy Research Unit) at the University of Sussex, and Director of The Nexus Network (biography attached)

In October 1964, Sir Solly Zuckerman was appointed as the first UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA). Fifty years on, scientific advice has never been in greater demand; nor has it been more contested. From climate change to cyber-security, poverty to pandemics, food technologies to fracking, the questions being asked of scientists, social scientists and other experts continue to multiply. At the same time, the authority and legitimacy of these experts is increasingly scrutinized.

Taking the institution of the GCSA as his starting point, James Wilsdon will describe how cultures of scientific advice in the UK have changed, to become more open, accountable and multidisciplinary. He will then survey the international landscape, looking in particular at recent controversies over EU scientific advice, and the outcomes of an inaugural global summit of scientific advisers in August 2014. He will ask whether the current enthusiasm for scientific advice and evidence-based policy is part of a broader shift towards more ‘experimental’ forms of government, and consider what this means for the relationship between experts, publics and democracy.

The seminar will take place in room C1, in the George Begg Building on Sackville Street– number 17 on the campus map-http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/maps/interactive-map/?id=14

Please RSVP, or contact Amrita with any queries- tyndall@manchester.ac.uk