Inspirations from the Futures + Literacies + Methods Lab
At the end of February, I spent two fantastic days at the Futures + Literacies + Methods Lab in Utrecht, in conversation with the amazing Annette Markham, Rebecca Coleman, Anna Hickey-Moody, Adi Kuntsman, Taylor Annabell, Riccardo Pronzato, Jessica Enevold, Levien Nordeman, Evelyn Wan, Ana Pop Stefanija, Jenny Chan, Ana Kubrusly, and many others, thinking through … Continue reading
Conversations at UCL
It was a real pleasure to give a seminar at University College London’s Structural & Molecular Biology department in March on ‘Futuring Engineering Biology: Making Innovation Work in Society’. The highlight, though, was the chance for one-to-one conversations with seven group leaders within the department. These exchanges were incredibly enriching: we spoke about how lab … Continue reading
Two Science Diplomacy Discussions
It has been a full few months of science diplomacy conversations—beginning in January with a US–UK bilateral meeting on ‘Knowledge Diplomacy as a Response to Knowledge Under Threat’, organised by the Royal Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and followed in March by a UK–Australia-focused conference, ‘Science & Conflict: Science Collaboration in … Continue reading
Keynoting at CERN: Synthetic Genomics and Shared Futures
When I was little, I had many wild dreams. But I can honestly say I never imagined that one day I’d be giving a keynote at CERN. Sheldon Cooper must be very jealous. Yet there I was at the 2025 Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipation Summit, dedicated to exploring ‘The Age of Possibility: Science, Sovereignty, and Shared … Continue reading
A New Odyssey for Public Engagement
Last week, the Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice (GSEJ) hosted ‘A New Odyssey for Public Engagement‘ at the British Academy. This small, invitation-only event brought together leading thinkers, science diplomacy experts, and scientists from four continents to explore how the O.D.E.SS.I. framework — Open, Deliberative, Enabling, Sensible and Sensitive, Innovative — can guide global practices of public dialogue on … Continue reading
Engineering and Safeguarding Synthetic Life
I greatly appreciated the thoughtful discussions at the Technical Workshop on Mirror Life (a report will follow soon). It was also a real pleasure to chair the half-day open panel on Safeguarding Synthetic Life at the Engineering and Safeguarding Synthetic Life 2025 conference. Working with such an interdisciplinary panel—Sophie Gilbert, David Relman, Laurie Zoloth, and James Smith, with additional contributions from John Glass and Hiroaki … Continue reading
Modernities, Global Governance, and the Commons
The question of how multiple modernities can be translated into coordinated forms of global governance remains one of the most pressing challenges of our time. For decades, sociologists have emphasised the ‘variety of modernities’—the recognition that different societies chart their own paths of development, shaped by histories, values, and social institutions. Yet, as science and … Continue reading
ISA Forum in Rabat
Like many others, I had a wonderful week in Rabat attending the International Sociological Association (ISA) Forum. This time, I was there in my capacity as a member of the ISA’s Publications Committee, and as editor of both the Current Sociology Monographs and the SAGE Studies in International Sociology (SSIS) book series. I always enjoy conversations with fellow members of the Publications Committee … Continue reading
Care-full Synthesis and the Future of the Synthetic Human Genome
I am honoured to lead Care-full Synthesis, a five-year social science programme associated with Synthetic Human Genome (SynHG) research, led by Professor Jason Chin (Ellison Institute of Technology Oxford), Professor Patrick Cai (University of Manchester), Professor Tom Ellis (Imperial College London and Professor Julian Sales (University of Cambridge). The ability to write large genomes has the … Continue reading
Mirror Life
I was delighted to attend the Paris Conference on Risks from Mirror Life, held 12–13 June 2025 at the iconic Institut Pasteur. This event—featuring a public symposium and expert workshops—was the first in a global series to explore the potential benefits and profound risks of mirror biology, where biomolecules are inverted in handedness relative to natural life. … Continue reading
Joy Zhang 