Professors’ blog

I have always opposed blanket boycotts of countries whose governments implement policies contrary to basic human rights and dignity, or that conduct military operations in violation of international law [1]. The civil population of such countries – usually ruled by unelected regimes – are little more than innocent bystanders in such actio…

With the pandemic well behind us, it has become common once again for us academics to travel to conferences, collaborations and courses. But at the same time travelling seems far more difficult than it used to be. How do we juggle these competing needs and constraints? On balance, I think travelling to conferences, both to…

In August 2024 a Class Action Lawsuit, Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417-WHA, was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit is of interest because the 1.5 billion USD proposed settlement has so far exceeded expectations and is now the largest ever proposed for a case related…

There have always been attempts to restrict the freedom of science. Science and the results of individual researchers have always met with opposition, for example from politicians. Concern about the state of researchers’ freedom of expression is common and internationally recognised. Harassment is the most common and recognised phen…