Professor Fern Elsdon-Baker

• PhD in History and Philosophy of Evolutionary Science, University of Brighton (2007).
• BSc (Hons) Environmental Science, University of Brighton (2002)

I am currently the UKRI Future Flight Challenge Social Science Research Director and the Director of the research Institute for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine in Culture and Society (ISTEMMiCS) at the University of Birmingham. I am  a transdisciplinary researcher with a background in science studies who leads a portfolio of research projects in the UK and internationally which draw on a range of social science/humanities approaches and methodologies including, qualitative and quantitative sociology, governance and political sciences, social and experimental psychology, media and communication studies, science and technology studies, transport studies and the history and philosophy of science. 

Before moving to the University of Birmingham, I was the Director of the Centre for Science, Knowledge and Belief in Society at Newman University. Prior to that I was deputy Director of the Centre for Social Relations at Coventry University.

I briefly left academia from 2008 – 2012 to work for the British Council on large-scale science and religion related projects. In the first instance I worked as Head of the Darwin Now Project. Darwin Now was a multi-million-pound global initiative running in 50 countries worldwide, which celebrated the life and work of Charles Darwin, as part of the international celebrations of the Darwin anniversaries in 2009. Subsequently, I went on to become Director of the British Councils Belief in Dialogue Programme – a multi-regional portfolio of inter-cultural and interfaith dialogue projects.

My earlier doctoral/postdoctoral research focused on theories of inheritance, science communication and its relationship to scientific knowledge production from the 1800s to present. In 2009 I published a book based on aspects of this research: Selfish Genius: How Richard Dawkins Rewrote Darwin’s Legacy.

I am happy to supervise students on any aspects of the following areas:

Science and Technology in Society
Public Engagement with STEMM
International Science Communication/Public Engagement with STEMM
Public Perceptions of Science in Diverse Societies

Find out more - our PhD Theology and Religion  page has information about doctoral research at the University of Birmingham.

My current primary research focuses include: the impacts emerging technologies in society; equality, diversity and inclusion in science and technology; inclusive innovation; perceptions and trustworthiness of science and technology; responsible research and innovation; innovation governance; and communication of/engagement with science and technology in diverse and pluralistic societies. I have previously developed new conceptualisations of the role of social identity, stereotyping, and social projection in relation to the ways in which individuals, groups or communities respond to or perceive STEMM in the UK and Internationally. I am now building on this work, to develop new modes of engagement with communities, innovators, decision makers and wider publics upstream of technological innovation, developing new conceptualisations of socially engaged innovation.